The Wiccan and the Shinto
by Otorisosa-kan
Summary: When Tifa left to compete in the tournament, Anne never expected to track her down to a kingdom cursed by a vengeful Stregherian and face an ugly looking beast. In a land and time where magic is shunned and must be repressed, will Anne find it in her to see the good in this proud, vain and cruel king? Or will time run out, condemning the once evil king? M for future violence
1. Chapter 2

Tifa flew back from the Malboro, landing and skidding across the grass as she met its foul, large mouth with a determined glare. She flexed her fists and held them up before her as the creature began heading towards her after emerging from Anne's room. It roared at her again and she clenched her teeth as she made a mental note to have another stern word with her younger sister. She would have thought to have gotten the hint after Tifa found that cage of Cactaurs under her bed last spring. It took over a week to get rid of the needles that littered the place when they got out. Tifa wasn't sure if she wanted to know how Anne managed to hide this thing in her room.

Tifa began charging at the Malboro, fist up as she began planning a strategy to take the beast down.

"Parstin, reld, wyanstaq!"

Tifa gasped as she forced herself to fall over when Anne leapt between them and slammed a bloody palm into the ground. Vines sprouted out and caged the Malboro in place, a soft growl coming from it. Anne jumped to her feet, putting her knife away and reached in to stroke one of the tentacles.

"Oh, Max, are you OK?!" she cooed as Max crooned softly "I know, I know, she startled you but it's OK, Mommy's here…"

"Annabelle Susanna Lockhart!" Tifa barked as she got up to her feet "The Cactaurs I can forgive you for because they've been considered cute to girls your age but a Malboro?! Look at the damage that thing has done!"

Anne sheepishly looked at the hole that was her room before lacing her fingers together.

"I can fix it, no problem…" she murmured.

"No!" Tifa screeched "Enough! I've had it up to here! This is the final straw! No more magic!"

"I can fix it before anyone can see it!" Anne protested "Nero and Weiss might be coming soon to see what the commotion was about, along with the rest of the village and I'll be very quick about it, I promise!"

"No, Anne, enough!" Tifa screamed as she shook her fists "The Cactuars was easy enough to explain to Cloud but this? Anne, can't you for once consider others that are around you? Can't we just be normal?"

Anne's eyes brimmed with tears as she continued holding Max's tentacle.

"But…" she hiccupped as she shifted "I'm sorry and I just…"

"And remember what I told you about Mom and Dad!" Tifa continued "They died because of the very magic you're practicing! This Malboro could have killed you in your sleep!"

"No, no!" Anne shook her head as she reached in and got a different tentacle "Max has a taming pendant, see?"

Tifa stared at the navy blue pendant that was clasped around Max's tentacle as Anne fondly stroked the appendage.

"And he was perfectly secure until you unlocked his cage," Anne glared at her sister "That's what happened with the Cactaurs too! You were the one who let them out!"

"How the hell did you fit this Malboro in your room in the first place?" Tifa asked and stepped back as the vines shrunk back into the ground and Anne was met with several tentacles hugging her.

"I used a dimension expansion spell," the younger sister shrugged as she kissed a tentacle affectionately "It took a lot of energy and time but it was perfectly stable until you messed it up. Now I have to go through all of that again to put him back in…"

"No!" Tifa raised her voice again "No more monster pets! Certainly no more Malboros! Why the hell did you tame a Malboro anyway?!"

"Malboros can be harvested for pus, teeth and once I master the technique, their bad breath," Anne shrugged.

"For more Wiccan rituals and alchemy," Tifa sighed impatiently "No, this has to end now, Anne. You need to let…Max go, get rid of your Wiccan books, ingredients and other things and please, for the love of Shiva, Ifrit, Odin and all the other gods from all religions, please just be a normal girl."

"You mean marry a blockhead and birth out babies," Anne huffed moodily.

"Anne!"

"Halz, wynt, qyrm!"

Anne flicked her bloody hand as pieces of wood flew into place around her room and she ran off, covering her face. Max warbled sombrely as he chased after her into the woods, leaving Tifa running a hand through her hair as a group of confused fighters arrived on scene.

* * *

Anne cried as she found an old stump to sit and wallow in her misery. She looked up as Max arrived and whined, petting her with his tentacles, as if telling her that it was all alright. Anne sighed as she sat back, her bottom lip wobbling as she reached out for the tentacle that had the taming pendant. Max pulled it out of reach and she dropped her hands.

"You heard her, Max, and you might cause some more damage if I kept you," she said as she stood to reach up for the pendant.

Max growled as he reached down and tickled her mid-section. Anne squealed and giggled as he hissed contently, pulling away when she rolled around on the grass, sighing softly. She looked up at him and held her arms out for him to pick her up and hold her above him, bouncing her up and down. Anne stroked the one around her waist whilst gazing down at Max's maws that held his bad breath. She remembered when her father did this when she was a little girl and the tears continued to fall.

"Max, put me down now," she said "Come on, I have to let you go."

Max growled and wriggled his spare tentacles to which Anne shook her head.

"No, Max, Tifa's right, enough is enough, I crossed the line when I tamed and domesticated you."

Max lifted her up and sat her on one of the branches of the trees around them and Anne sighed, folding her arms.

"Max…"

Anne could see and understand Max better than any other humans. He looked seriously upset in her eyes and she mirrored his sadness.

"Max, come here, let me take the pendant off so you can return to the wild," she said patiently as she held out a hand.

Max turned around and wandered off, leaving Anne stuck in the tree. The young girl sighed, folding her arms and waited whilst Max disappeared through the woods, most likely going to retrieve a dead body of sorts to try to cheer her up. She lifted her head when she heard footsteps and perked when she saw Cloud come running with his sword in hand.

"Cloud…" she called for his attention as he saw the basket by the stump.

Cloud looked up at her and looked back at the basket with a frown.

"Um, how did you get up there?" he asked whilst scratching his head.

"Uh…" Anne stared at Cloud for a beat before replying "Malboros tend to trap their victims if their attention is called away to something else."

Cloud frowned and she held her hands up.

"Exhibit A, reading history is a good thing now, huh?" she grinned.

"Well, we'd better get going before it comes back then," he said as he sheathed his sword and held his arms out "Jump, I'll catch you."

"From this height?!" Anne exclaimed as she stared down the approximate seven foot drop.

"Trust me, Tifa would kill me if anything happened to you."

Anne swallowed as she closed her eyes and tried her best not to scream as she fell from her place and into Cloud's arms. Cloud grunted as he set her down and held her steady as her legs quivered. Anne glanced back in the direction that Max went before collecting her basket and following Cloud back to the house. It was only a few minutes later that Max reappeared with a horde of Cactaurs, a couple of Tonberries and a Bandersnatch only to find her gone. He let out a mournful croon before letting the taming pendant slip off his tentacle, its power fizzling out once it hit the grass.

* * *

Anne lazily flicked through the Book of Shadows, reading in the dim candlelight as Tifa spent some time with Cloud downstairs. Her face was neutral, nearly bored, as she deciphered the runes with a translation spell, too lazy to put the effort into translating them herself. It was night time and Anne was still grumpy from the fight earlier, fixing a normal lock instead of a magical one on her door as she read in peace. Her thoughts were scattered as a knock was heard.

"Anne, can we talk?"

Anne glanced at the door balefully before getting up and unbolting her door. Tifa came in as she went back to her bed, closing the Book of Shadows and placing it under her pillow.

"Anne, I'm sorry if I was too harsh on you," she said whilst sitting next to her younger sister.

"No, I'm sorry, I never listen to you," Anne muttered as she brought her knees to her chest.

Tifa smiled with a soft sight as she hugged Anne close.

"Anne, it scares me so much," she whispered "I know, I want to explore Wicca too but after what happened…"

Anne shifted as she looked away and Tifa kissed her head dotingly.

"You're all I have," she murmured.

"You have Cloud," Anne interjected.

"Please, no man could ever replace my sister," Tifa scoffed as she ruffled Anne's hair.

She smiled down at her and Anne returned the smile.

"I'll always be there if you need me," she promised.

"I know you will," Anne nodded "Oh, um, what time are you leaving for that tournament?"

"Early morning, probably before sunrise," Tifa shrugged "Cloud promised to take good care of you whilst I'm gone."

"Or else you'll castrate him," Anne giggled and Tifa snickered with her.

The sisters sat there, cuddled in the dimly lit room. Tifa glanced down at Anne's bandaged hand and held it carefully.

"You really haven't been using magic this afternoon," she concluded when she saw the tell-tale signs of the wound "Good girl."

"I couldn't get that pendant off Max, he might visit sometime," Anne grimaced "I'll try and get it off to release him back into the wild."

"Silly girl, why did you name him?" Tifa giggled.

"Well, I couldn't just keep on calling him Malboro," Anne shrugged.

"You couldn't just keep a massive Malboro like him in a tiny room like this," Tifa shook her head as she glanced around the room "I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that you had been hiding him in here. How long has he been here?"

"Two weeks after the Cactaur break out," Anne looked annoyed at Tifa for that incident.

"You've been hiding him for over three months?" Tifa raised both eyebrows at her.

"I needed the teeth for an experiment," Anne shrugged "Then I got attached and before I knew it, I was using that dimension spell to secure him in my wardrobe."

"Then how was it until today that he managed to get out?" Tifa asked.

"What did you do with my wardrobe?"

"Well, I was sorting out your clothes and it was when I brushed against the back of the cupboard, he was there."

"Tifa, you must have done something," Anne sighed and folded her arms "Did you cut yourself and let blood touch the back of the wardrobe?"

"Well, I was training earlier so that is possible," Tifa looked guilty now.

Anne snickered and shrugged.

"You can hide it all you want, Teef, but you do have Wiccan blood like me. It's as magical as mine and it will disrupt any spells or charms I leave around."

"Except, you're going to stop all of those magic tricks now," Tifa said sternly to which Anne pouted and shied away "I'll be going to bed now. I'll see you in a couple of days' time."

"Night, Tifa," Anne smiled as she kissed her older sister on the cheek "Knock 'em out cold!"

Tifa smiled back as she got up and left the room. Anne sighed mournfully before bowing her head.

"Lakt zykt," she whispered and her candle blew itself out before she burrowed into her warm bed.

She closed her eyes and slumbered. Shortly after she was sound asleep, a lone tentacle slipped into her room through her window and placed down a golden pendant with a navy blue stone on her nightstand.


	2. Chapter 3

Tifa petted Poppy dotingly as she saddled the red Chocobo.

"We'll be back home soon," she said whilst nuzzling the red feathers, making her squawk and ruffle her wings "Ah-ha, you like that, huh? See, why can't Anne prefer pets like you? If she likes Cactaurs and Malboros then I could always look for a green Chocobo…"

"Kweh!" Poppy squawked as she jumped up and down before Tifa hushed her soothingly.

The marital artist glanced up at her younger sister's window to make sure she hadn't woken up. With a firm nod, she got up on Poppy's back and looked up when she saw the yellow spikes of a different Chocobo. Oh wait, it's just Cloud. Cloud smiled up at his betrothed and kissed the back of her hand sweetly. Tifa blushed lightly before slapping him gently on the shoulder, making Cloud chuckle.

"Are you sure I can't come along?" he whispered and Tifa smiled, nodding.

"You need to keep an eye on Anne," she said "Make sure she doesn't get into trouble."

"Tifa, you need to let her breathe," Cloud sighed "She's a smart, young lady, she just needs to grow up a little but it won't happen if you keep swaddling her like a baby."

"Cloud, remember what happened yesterday," Tifa sighed and shrugged "I mean, I don't want to burden you to be her bodyguard but I'll be much more relaxed if she found someone, someone to keep her safe. She's just so stubborn with that idea."

"Hey, Tifa, remember how long it took me to get you to say yes to me?" Cloud smiled as he rubbed her wrist "Nero and Weiss have only just started to woo her, just give it a while."

Tifa melted slightly, smiling affectionately at Cloud whilst pinching his cheek gently.

"You're right," she said and shrugged "Those two aren't the best at first impressions anyway."

"And, even though Anne is a little…eccentric," Cloud smiled at Tifa's snort "Weiss and Nero don't give up easily. Heck, maybe Anne might be a bit warmed or charmed by either of them."

"They'd have to present her with a book she hasn't read yet for that to happen," Tifa giggled "But I don't know, these things don't exactly happen overnight."

"If only life was that simple," Cloud lamented "I'd have you by that altar right now."

"Then get your things together and raise enough money for the ceremony," Tifa giggled as she shoved Cloud's shoulder "Considering the situation, I'm probably going to become the breadwinner whilst you're just going to stay at home burping babies."

"I'd better get my game on then," Cloud grinned before stepping away "Go get 'em, tiger."

Tifa blew a kiss before riding Poppy through the woods.

* * *

Anne watched with blank eyes as she tied the ribbon tighter around the doll she had in her hand. She had a strange feeling as she watched her older sister leave through the woods, no matter how much she reassured herself that Tifa would return. Tifa always came back, no matter what. Come rain or shine, Tifa was going to be safe. There was nothing to be nervous about. Anne nodded to herself firmly before looking at the doll in her hands and smiling mischeviously. She placed it down with the other doll in the pentacle that was drawn on her bedroom floor, surrounded by candles and she opened the Book of Shadows and pricked her finger. She smirked ominously.

"Weiss Omega. Nero Omega. _Sylatin, bry, spyil!_"

She perked up happily as roars of agony broke the morning peace.

"Charming me, indeed," she snickered as she dusted her hands triumphantly "That should keep them tired for the day."

* * *

"My chest burns!" Weiss yelled as he and his brother writhed in agony, the older of the two clawing at his chest.

"My arms! My arms!"

Nero hugged his arms into his chest as he bent over, screaming in pain.

* * *

Hours passed as Tifa and Poppy travelled the whole day, stopping briefly for rest stops along the way until their path was blocked by a woman cloaked in red just outside some woods. Tifa swallowed at the powerful aura she gave off and Poppy stepped away uneasily as if taking the hint.

"Excuse me," Tifa said as she began steering Poppy around her.

It was probably the late evening wind but Tifa felt ice cold chills when she met the eyes with the woman in red.

"This is a cursed land," she purred in a foreign accent "You'd best find a different route, young Wiccan."

"What?!" Tifa exclaimed slightly before shaking her head "I mean, you're mistaken, I take offense in being called that. Besides, I need to cut through these woods to reach the tournament in time."

"Go around, no need to cut through."

"I'm sorry but I really need to get going," Tifa said "Good evening."

"This is your final warning," the woman's painted lips curled into a sinister smirk as Tifa began riding into the woods "It's not a good idea to enter this kingdom."

Tifa simply ignored her and rode Poppy deeper into the dark woods. She noticed Poppy's discomfort and rubbed her neck soothingly to calm her down. Eventually thunder clapped above them and rain poured down, drenching the weary travellers as Tifa began recognizing buildings. Her eyes widened in alarm as she saw them to be enveloped in tree roots, mushrooms, moss and other plants. Poppy stumbled onto the overgrown path and Tifa's eyes were drawn to the tall, dark castle it led to.

"Hey, maybe we can shelter there," she said but Poppy had a different idea as she squawked and began hopping backwards to leave "Hey, hey, Poppy! Poppy, it's fine, hey!"

She gasped as she was thrown off the Chocobo and she watched in dismay in the soggy grass and weeds as her means of transport ran off. Thunder sounded louder above her and Tifa jumped to her feet and ran towards the iron gates. She pushed them open and staggered to the large doors, only to be stopped by a round padlock the locked them. She sighed irritably before knocking loudly on the doors.

"Hello?!" she called "Hello?! Is anyone in?! I'm looking for shelter!"

There was no answer as she knocked again, looking back in the hope that Poppy will come back. The doors slowly creaked open behind her and she turned to look into the bleak castle warily.

* * *

"What are you doing?!" a young man with red fox ears and a red fox tail hissed at the brunette woman who had coyote ears and tail.

"She was out there in the rain, I couldn't just leave her," she whispered.

"Yes, because it's better to have His Majesty maul her to death instead of letting her die of pneumonia!"

"Look, she might be the one who can help us," the coyote hybrid shrugged "We just need to welcome her in and get her warm then perhaps she'll start helping."

"Is someone there?"

The coyote jumped in front of the stranger, turning into a complete coyote which startled her. Her red wine eyes examined her briefly before she crouched down warily.

"Hello?" she whispered and the coyote stepped forward to nuzzle her "Oh, you're friendly! Hey, do you have an owner?"

The red fox hybrid sighed as he folded his arms, hidden in the shadows. The coyote turned and barked sharply. The young woman looked up the staircase and watched a newfoundland run down, dragging a blanket with him. She was nudged onto the nearby sofa by the coyote as the newcomer pulled the blanket over her knees, his tail wagging eagerly. The guest laughed as she tickled his ears with a soft smile.

"Good boy," she said before sneezing delicately "Urgh, that storm just came out of nowhere."

The newfoundland sniffed as he sat down with the coyote nuzzling him affectionately before nosing her knee. The woman smiled at her, tickling her ears next before looking around.

"Um, do you not have anyone looking after you?" she inquired.

The newfoundland whined, tilting his head to the side as if he were musing about it. The woman's frown deepened.

"No humans?" she whispered.

"Oh, if only you knew," the red fox hybrid huffed.

"Who said that?!" the woman snapped as she turned her head.

The coyote and newfoundland winced before the coyote spoke up.

"Um, hi?" she said meekly and the woman turned her head around again.

"Who's there?" she asked, slightly shaken up.

"Down…here…" the newfoundland said slowly and the woman looked down at them with wide, alarmed eyes "Yeah, hi there…"

The woman shrunk to the back of the sofa with a squeak.

"What?" she murmured "What on Gaia?!"

"Don't be alarmed, please!" the coyote pleaded "We used to be human you see and then we got cursed."

"Yeah, no humans here, sorry," the newfoundland ducked his head "Just dogs."

The red fox hybrid rolled his eyes. The woman swallowed harshly as the coyote perked up.

"I'm Aerith!" she said "This is my boyfriend, Zack!"

"Hiya!" the newfoundland barked happily.

The woman stared at them blankly before tilting her head and clearing her throat.

"Um, I'm Tifa," she said "Tifa Lock-great, I must be ill and hallucinating if I'm talking to dogs now."

She covered her eyes and Aerith tilted her head curiously.

"Zack! Aerith!"

A blonde dingo ran into the lobby and screeched to a halt when he saw Tifa.

"What the fuck?! An actual human?!"

"Cid, be nice, she's our guest," Aerith lectured as Tifa looked at him with wide eyes.

"Not for much longer, the big boss is angry!" Cid said gruffly "And I'm not talking about your moody boss who stubbed his toe! Oh no! I'm talking about the bloody angry boss who is about to go on a murder spree to increase his power!"

"Um…" Tifa sat up straight as a bone chilling howl echoed through the castle.

Even the red fox hybrid tensed as a large figure covered in silver fur threw open the doors then lunged for the poor girl. Tifa jumped and narrowly dodged getting sliced in half with the sofa. She brought her fists up as the creature turned towards her, its green slit eyes glaring at her menacingly. A foul scent, probably worse than Max's bad breath, met Tifa's nose and her eyes watered from the power of the stench. She took in a deep breath and braced herself as the monster charged towards her, snarling angrily. She used the tall beams to get on top of her opponent as the dogs hid under the staircase in fear of getting hurt. She turned and brought her foot down to crash against the creature's head but was halted when its large, furry, clawed hand grabbed her by the leg and threw her across the hall, making her crash into the doors. She slumped to the floor, unconscious as the beast made its way over, snarling and growling.

"Stop!"

The creature froze and sneered at the Doberman that stood over Tifa, shielding her.

"She is a woman, please, Your Majesty!" he begged him "If you want to get rid of this curse then remember your chivalry, your honour!"

"What of it?" the beast got onto all fours to meet with the Doberman's eyes.

"There are two buds left!" the Doberman pleaded "There's still time!"

The beast looked down at Tifa before scowling and grabbing her by the ankle.

"Wait, where are you taking her?!" the Doberman barked in alarm as the others stood by and watched him drag her up the stairs "Your Majesty!"

The creature disappeared into the gloomy darkness of the castle, slamming the doors behind it. Aerith, Zack and Cid slowly crept out from under the staircase, staring up uncertainly at where the creature had made its exit and the red fox hybrid clicked his tongue.

"And that is why I told you guys to get comfortable being dogs," he said with a shrug.


	3. Chapter 4

"Open wide!" Anne cooed as she fed some seed to the red Chocobo chick in front of her.

It ate happily before joining its siblings around the bowl of Chocobo feed on the kitchen table. Anne placed her head in her hands and watched with mischievous blood red eyes.

"One…" she began counting as all five chicks bounced up and down, flapping their tiny wings happily "Two… Three… Four-ah ha!"

She giggled helplessly as the chicks squawked in alarm as their feathers began changing colours quickly. She clapped in glee, a massive grin etched onto her face as they began flying around the kitchen in surprise before a couple of them dive bombed for her.

"Hey, hey, it's temporary!" she protested whilst catching one "It'll only last for a minute and it's perfectly harmless."

She yelped as the chick she had in her hand pecked her and she was chased around the room, laughing and snickering. The angry chirps and high-pitched giggling ceased when Anne heard scratching on the back door. She frowned as the colouring halted on the chicks and she carefully made her way over to the door. She placed a hand on the door before pressing an ear to the door. She closed her eyes and stretched her aura out but sensed no other humans outside. She opened them in alarm at the thought of a monster on the doorstep. She found the taming charm on her nightstand but Tifa said no more monster pets. But she didn't want Cloud or the Omega brothers killing them.

Swallowing uneasily, she carefully cracked the door open to look out and saw a Bandersnatch looking up at her. She was about to slam the door shut but it forced the door open and she let out a startled yelp when it pinned her down and looked down at her. She stayed very still as he growled at her, the Chocobo chicks staying in high places when they saw the monster enter the house. Anne felt trapped, she didn't have her knife on her to draw blood for an effective spell, however she might be able to snag her hands on the claws for a weak spell… Anne continued staring up at the Bandersnatch, still planning to spell it and make sure she was safe until she recognized the scar through one of its eyes.

"Bandit?" she squeaked and Bandit growled happily, nuzzling her and licking her face "Hey, that tickles! Bandit!"

The chicks aligned themselves on the top of the kitchen shelves, watching curiously as Anne sat up, making Bandit get off her but sit down next to her, lying his head on her lap.

"But I released you ages ago," she said as she petted him "How are you still tame?"

Bandit just nibbled her fingers affectionately like he used to when Anne had tamed him during the winter months. With a curious frown, Anne got up, brushing herself down and made her way to the staircase.

"No eating Chocobo chicks," she said sternly to the relaxed Bandersnatch before going upstairs.

She got one of her books down and began flicking through it whilst going down and looked up lazily when she saw Bandit looking up at the line of Chocobo chicks eagerly, licking his chops.

"Bandit," she said and Bandit growled before going to her feet to lie on top of them "Hm, allure charms, thief's curse, metamorphic ornaments, taming pendant!"

She ran her finger across the page which had the picture of the taming pendant she had and froze.

"It is safe to remove the taming pendant after a full moon cycle as the effects become permanent," she recited and bit her lip nervously "Oops. Wish the peddler mentioned that before giving it to me."

Bandit nipped her toe and she giggled, sliding down to rub his neck.

"Yes, I should have read this more carefully," she said "But you can't stay here, Tifa's away at a tournament and when she gets back, she'll want you out. No more monster pets since Max…wait…"

She covered her mouth.

"Max is permanently tamed now," she whispered "Oh no, the poor guy! What if he can't cope with being in the wild or what if he gets bullied by other Malboros?"

Bandit pawed at her knee and she sighed, shaking her head.

"Of course, that's ridiculous, he'll be fine," she whispered as she hugged Bandit with a tender smile.

Bandit yawned and Anne led him upstairs where he made himself comfortable on her bed. Anne sighed as she cuddled him, scratching his ears and running her fingers down his back. Their reunion was disturbed when knocking was heard from the front door. Frowning, Anne shifted on her bed to look through her window and snarled.

"Damn, I forgot to curse them today," she muttered sullenly as she got up "Bandit, stay."

Bandit watched her with pricked ears as she went down after grabbing her ritual knife and answered the door at a crack.

"Weiss," she said as civilly as she could and stumbled back when he pushed his way into the house "To what do I owe this unexpected surprise?"

"It is a wonderful morning, isn't it?" Weiss said with a charming smile as he wandered over to the Chocobo chicks that fluttered down to look at him curiously "Ah, you love anything cute and small, don't you?"

"Weiss."

Weiss smirked at Anne as the door closed and he crossed his arms casually, brushing apart the gap in his shirt slightly so she could see his muscles a bit better.

"Anne, you are a charming, young woman," he said "A little…odd, perhaps however that makes you unique."

"Get to the point, I've got a spinster's life to prepare for," Anne sneered as she stroked the handle of her ritual knife.

"Anne, you don't need to become a spinster," Weiss said as he drew closer and held his hand out "With me as your husband, you will be happy. I can make you into a fine woman and you won't need to worry about any financial or health problems."

Anne sighed softly through her nose as she pushed her knife in her belt and shrugged.

"Weiss, you're a very attractive man," she said as Weiss took a step forward which prompted her to step back "But our personalities will clash. I love animals and monsters, you love hunting them. I love books, you don't know how to read. I don't believe in opposites attracting at all and I don't think the marriage will last."

"That's what compromises are for," Weiss smirked as he towered over her "For you, I'd be willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy."

"Oh, please," Anne scoffed as she turned away from him "You only want me as a wife because I'm the second choice from Tifa."

"Anne, think about it," Weiss pressed on as he pressed his chest against her back "Being together in our little cabin in the woods, I bring in a nice stag for you to cook and play with our beautiful children."

"Beauty, beauty, beauty," Anne sighed as she strode to the other side of the kitchen "That's all you could ever want. As long as it's easy on the eyes, you would like to keep it for decoration."

"Anne," Weiss sighed.

"I really hate men," Anne said blankly "Cloud is a hunter like you. Nero is too and my father was an idiot who committed suicide after my mother passed away. You're all so stupid."

"Do you really just want to become some old, ugly spinster?" Weiss sneered "I could have any woman and you know that. Why would you let your let your beauty and youth waste away for some silly opinion of yours?"

"Because I could never be happy with someone like you or your brother," Anne said firmly "Weiss, I don't belong in this world. This narrow-minded world of men doing whatever they want and being happy whilst the women stay at home and remain unhappy, it's not for me!"

"It's a system that works," Weiss shrugged and Anne scoffed, scowling unattractively "So you're just saying you will remain forever a virgin, never have children and just waste away like a flower with no water? What does your sister think?"

"She wants me to get married," Anne clenched her fists until her knuckles went white "I know she wants what's best for me but I don't want what's best for me! I want to be happy and free!"

She placed a hand on her knife and stared ahead dully.

"Can't I just be a girl who can just be happy with her friends and knowledge?" she asked.

Weiss sighed in frustration.

"Anne, who's going to protect you from monsters?" he asked "Tifa won't be there for you all the time."

Anne glanced at the staircase briefly before meeting his gaze again whilst going towards the door.

"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem," she said as Bandit snarled from his place.

"What the fuck?!"

Bandit began chasing Weiss around the kitchen until Anne opened the door at the right moment when Bandit pounced and pushed the hunter out into the mud. Anne stood in the doorway and pointed a finger at Nero sternly.

"Not a word," she said to the startled younger brother before slamming the door in his face.

"Aw come on, give me a chance!"

Anne scowled at the door and turned to walk back upstairs. She froze when she heard a familiar roar and ran out to see the hunters running away from a Malboro, apparently they had left their weapons at home. The Malboro turned to her and she placed a hand on her heart.

"Max," she whispered and greeted his tentacle hug "Oh, Max! I'm so happy to see you!"

She sighed as she kissed his tentacles and sat down on the doorstep, weeping.

"I don't want to get married," she sobbed as Max crooned "I just want to be happy. It's all too much."

Max growled unhappily as Anne leaned against his body, sighing softly.

"It's not fair," she whispered "Why couldn't I be a boy instead?"

She suddenly shook her head, tapping her temple as if scolding herself.

"Of course not, if I changed my sex like that, it would mess up my blood," she reprimanded herself.

She buried a hand into Bandit's fur as she closed her eyes to calm her thoughts.

"Kweh!"

Anne's eyes flew open and she watched in horrified awe as Poppy stood a good few feet away from them, nerved by the monsters that stared at her.

"Poppy?" she whispered and got up to check on her "Poppy? Where's Tifa? Where's Tifa?! Is she OK?!"

"Kweh! Kweh!"

Anne took out her knife and slit her palm.

"Easy, girl," she cooed "Easy, I'm not going to hurt you. It's just a quick memory spell, it'll be over very quickly."

She pressed her face into Poppy's neck and pressed her bloodied palm against the red feathers, closing her eyes gently.

_"Zyqarn… rygn, _Tifa…"

Her eyes flew open as memories flashed through her eyes. The forest, the castle, the thunderstorm and Tifa lying there in the cold, wet and shivering. Anne stumbled back, covering her mouth and looking up at Poppy in terror.

"Tifa!" she exclaimed "No…wait here, I just need to get a few things…"

She ran into the house, leaving Bandit and Max by the doorstep, confused. She grabbed her satchel and placed the Book of Shadows, healing potions, food and water in it before rushing out and grabbing her travelling cloak. She hesitated at the kitchen before grabbing a scrap of paper and a pen to scribble a note to Cloud, hoping he would be able to read it if she simplified her words. She dashed out again, attaching her satchel to Poppy and mounting her. Max and Bandit looked ready to follow but she shook her head.

"Poppy is startled enough," she said "You need to go back home. I'll be back, I promise."

Max crooned in protest but Anne shook her head.

"I have to go," she said as she turned Poppy around "I'll come back, I promise, I'll come back!"

"Kweh!"

Poppy flapped her wings before running back down the path she had just come from.


	4. Chapter 5

Anne yawned wearily as Poppy trudged along the path after hours of travelling.

"How are you feeling, girl?" she asked softly to which a squawk was her reply "Yeah, I'm tired too, you want to rest?"

Poppy seemed defiant to continue the journey so Anne didn't argue, just leaned her head against the soft red feathers. Anne looked ahead lazily and her eyes widened when she saw a figure stood in their path. She was about to halt Poppy to talk to her when she sensed an ominous aura coming from this woman. She hesitated, halting Poppy whilst looking at the woman ahead. Was she a witch? Such terrifying power…it chilled Anne to the bone. But the young Wiccan swallowed down her uneasiness and progressed over to the woman, clearing her throat.

"Excuse me, miss?" she said timidly and met with the woman's fierce crimson eyes "Uh, have you seen a young woman who looks like me come here?"

The woman regarded her with slight interest and her lips curled up into a smirk.

"A little far from home are you, dear?" she purred and Poppy flinched at her tone.

"A little, yes, but that's not important," Anne said dismissively "Have you seen my sister?"

"A half Wiccan like yourself with long black hair and red eyes has passed me," the woman admitted "However, you should turn back. This is a cursed kingdom and its cursed king won't be kind to a young girl like yourself."

Anne tensed at the mention of Wiccan but when the woman's eyes drifted to her ritual knife at her belt, she relaxed, almost smacking herself for her stupidity. She covered the knife with her cloak and hunched her shoulders.

"Do you practice magic too?" she asked shyly.

"Indeed, I do," the woman nodded "I'm a Stregherian."

Anne's eyes widened at the word.

"I thought they were wiped out many decades ago," she whispered.

"I am the last of my bloodline," the Stregherian sighed as she looked mournful "My family, killed at the hands of the very cursed king who resides in the land at the end of this road."

She cast her eyes towards the dark forest which wasn't very far from where they were. Anne glanced at the forest with her, swallowing a nervous gulp.

"Turn back," the woman instructed "He will kill you too."

"But you said my sister entered this kingdom," Anne said "I need to find her."

"Turn back now and save yourself."

Anne glanced down at the woman.

"I appreciate your warning," she said "But my sister has a fiancé waiting back at home and she doesn't even practice magic like me."

"How do you know she is still alive?"

"I would have felt it," Anne said confidently "And I know Tifa can defend herself just fine."

"The king holds no sympathy. Only greed, anger and pride."

"You can tell me everything about how dangerous this king really is," Anne said as she urged Poppy forward "But nothing will deter me from at least trying to rescue my sister. Goodnight."

Poppy squawked in protest briefly before going into the forest. The woman lingered on the road with an amused smirk.

"Defiant," she purred "Interesting."

* * *

Anne looked up at the eerie castle with Poppy behind her, her Book of Shadows in her hand as she looked around the overgrown village.

"Well…" she mumbled "Cursed is one way to describe this place."

Poppy chirruped uneasily and Anne turned to cuddle her soothingly.

"I'll be right back," she said before going through the iron gates and towards the castle doors.

She looked up at the castle doors before glancing at the padlock which bound them. She examined the runes carefully and huffed.

"This is Shinto language," she murmured "I was just about to go into studying that."

She took her knife out and slit her fingertip to tap the lock carefully.

_"Priminade, arwysr!"_

She watched at the runes shifted into a language which she could read and pronounce the runes correctly.

"O-Opunu…ne…" she whispered with narrowed eyes "O…no…kokoro…ima, ima…su?"

She cleared her throat and tried again.

"Opunu," she said more confidently "Ne o no kokoro ima su."

The padlock clicked and she took it off the door handles, the doors opening as if welcoming her in. She wandered in warily, placing the padlock down on the floor before going towards the staircase and ascending it. She stopped when she spotted a glove on one of the adjoining staircases and recognized it to be Tifa's.

"She is here!" she sighed as she knelt down to pick the garment up "Thank goodness!"

She pressed her bloody finger against the black leather and closed her eyes.

_"Spwr_, Tifa…"

She turned and twisted her head as she began locating Tifa within the castle before gasping at the sight of her sister, bruised and injured in a prison cell in a tower. She stood and ran up the stairs with determined eyes.

* * *

"You let another one in?!" Cid burst through the bedroom, his dingo tail fluffed up as he chewed on his toothpick.

"Oi!" Aerith exclaimed as she and Zack covered themselves with a blanket.

"Ye gods!" Cid looked away "Put a damn lock on the door when you're going to go at it like bitches in heat!"

"Well knock!" Zack protested.

"Wait, what do you mean let another one in?" Aerith frowned.

"You know what I mean," Cid grumbled as the couple began putting clothes on "Another girl into the castle, you saw what happened with that chick that tried to go up against the king."

"I never let another girl into the castle, I was here all the time with Zack!" Aerith protested.

"Well somebody did," Genesis sighed as he came up behind Cid "Angeal's with the king now so it wasn't him."

"Yuffie probably did it," Zack shrugged.

"Oi," a young girl with jackal ears poked her head out from under the bed.

"How long were you there for?" Aerith asked with flushed cheeks.

"All morning, I was looking for new hiding spots to keep my rune stones," Yuffie pouted "Now I have to move them again."

"Wait so, none of us here did it," Genesis said slowly as he pointed around the room "Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo don't know how to undo the lock… Kunsel and Luxiere are keeping an eye on the girl from before…"

"That lock has magic properties, only one with the right knowledge, skill and magic can undo it," Zack frowned.

"Which is why we put it on the doors so the right person could come along for His Majesty…" Aerith whispered.

There was a silent pause of realisation before everyone morphed into their canine forms to run out and find this mysterious girl.

* * *

Anne's feet hurt as she ran down the stone corridors, hitching her skirt up to climb the stairs better and not trip up. Her head spun as she stopped at the sight of two massive dogs, one a Great Dane and the other a Rottweiler. They growled at her from their place on top of the staircase and she swallowed uneasily, stepping back.

"There's always something…" she muttered as she opened her book to look down at the contents.

However, at the sight of the Book of Shadows, the dogs stopped growling and she chanced to look up. They were staring at her curiously as she flicked through to the spell section of the book. Then, they lay down submissively, like trained puppies. Anne raised her eyebrows in disbelief and kept her book open before stepping forward. There was no reaction, even when she got to the stop of the staircase, they simply looked up at her as if she was their mistress. Anne didn't like this, something was up. Not once turning her back to them, she backed away towards the door before opening it.

"Shiaseru."

Anne jumped and looked at the Rottweiler with wide eyes.

"You spoke!" she accused then felt a surge of energy flit past her "You spoke and something happened, what did you do?!"

Both dogs looked up lazily at her and she swallowed uneasily, stepping back into the room behind her and closing the door. She looked around and her eyes found a comatose looking Tifa.

"Tifa!" she cried as she ran to the cell and reached out to grab her arm "Tifa, Tifa!"

She huffed at the lack of response and pulled her sister over so she could take a look at where she was bleeding from her head. She whined in discomfort before checking for a pulse, relieved when she felt one and grabbed her bottle of healing oil from her pouch. She smeared the amber liquid over Tifa's bleeding patch before grabbing a sprig of herbs and holding it under her nose.

_"Pyyra!"_

The sprig caught alight and its fumes greeted Tifa's nose who stirred and opened her eyes slowly.

"Anne?" she whispered softly and Anne doused the lit sprig briefly and she sat up "Anne! What are you-ow!"

She hissed as she rubbed her side, wincing at the pain that wracked her body.

"Ow, I think I bruised something," she whined as Anne placed a hand over her shoulder and closed her eyes.

_"Dyagansys…" _she whispered whilst closing her eyes and wincing as she examined Tifa's body.

"Anne, I said no more magic," Tifa groaned.

"Magic is what got me here in the first place to save you, idiot!" Anne scolded as she opened her eyes to glare at her sister "You have three bruised ribs, some internal bleeding in the abdomen and a crack leg bone! What happened?!"

"Anne, there's a creature…a monster, here in this castle," Tifa groaned as she shifted uncomfortably "You need to run, you need to get out of here!"

"Not without you," Anne said as she stood to examine the lock on the cell "I can bust this open and we can leave, get you back home, get you looked at, get you safe…"

"No-one," a snarl cut across the room "is going anywhere."

A foul stench met Anne's nose as she froze on the spot, lock in hand and Tifa growled.

"Don't you dare lay your paws on my sister!" she spat at the person behind Anne.

Anne didn't turn as a shadow loomed over her and the person behind her sniffed her curiously. She was shaking at the ominous tone in his voice when he spoke and she felt a dark aura which made her magic core within her quiver in fear.

"How could you unlock the padlock?" he growled "You're only half Wiccan."

Anne gulped as she didn't dare to look back.

"S-Simple tr-translation spell…" she explained "You're a Shinto, aren't you? That was Shinto language on that padlock…"

There was a displeased growl and Anne closed her eyes, whining in fear.

"Why do you have my sister here?" she asked.

"She was trespassing," was her answer "No-one can simply waltz in here without facing the consequences."

Anne was shaking more violently now, resisting the urge to throw up at the stench, fear and dark magic surrounding her.

"Are…are you the cursed king?" she asked enticing a surprised sound from the person behind her.

"How could you have known?" he demanded.

"The Stregherian in red warned me about you," Anne explained as she gripped the lock tighter for a sense of comfort.

She gasped as she felt hot breath down her neck.

"What did she tell you about me?" he asked as Anne choked down a scream.

"You hold no sympathy," she echoed the woman's words "Only greed, anger and pride. You killed her family and if I came here, you will kill me too."

There was an amused sounding growl and Anne's eyes widened when large, silver, furry hands with long black claws came around to enclose her tiny hands around the lock.

"Don't touch her!" Tifa roared but was silenced by the creature's roar which made Anne bit her lip to hide her pain and fear as her ears began ringing from the roar.

She felt the fur tickling her arms from the creature's arms, a strong chest pressed up against her back and the legs sandwiching her hips to keep her from collapsing. She whimpered, tears coming out of her eyes as she trembled in the creature's strong grip.

"You're either very stupid or brave to come here despite that whore's warning," he growled "I could tear you from limb to limb, decapitate you slowly, rip your body apart and eat your internal organs."

Anne cried a bit more violently, hiccupping and coughing from the fear pooling in her stomach. His dark magic was surrounding her weaker magic core of light, suffocating her, driving her insane and she held back the bile building up in her throat. She swallowed back harshly as Tifa tried to attack the creature but was held down by a binding spell. She looked down at her sister in dismay before bowing her head, tears falling into the silver fur of the creature's arms.

"I-If y-y-you kill me," she whimpered "w-would you let my sister go?"

There was a pause as Tifa looked up at her in disbelief.

"Beg pardon?" the creature's voice rumbled, making its chest vibrate against her back.

"Let Tifa go," Anne hiccupped "and let me take her place."

"Anne, no!" Tifa exclaimed in horror.

"What's in it for me?" the cursed king snarled.

"I am willing to sacrifice anything and everything in order for my sister's safety," Anne said "Let her go back home and I will remain here for you to do as you wish. I will obey your every word without question as long as I know Tifa is safe and at home."

She winced as the king's paws gripped her hands tighter around the lock before loosening up and the lock came apart in her hands. It fell to the floor as the legs holding her hips steady left and she finally let her legs collapse. She was caught and carried over to the seat by the small tower window where she screwed her eyes shut, hiccupping violently as she sobbed, gripping the front of her dress in the hopes that the ache in her chest would ease up.

"Look at me."

True to her promise, Anne obeyed and mustered the courage to look up at the cursed king and her breath stopped momentarily. Striking green eyes looked down at her as she saw a large humanoid artic fox. His build was strong and scary, he was tall, probably eight foot tall or more. Nine white tails hung behind him as Anne could see between his legs which were clothed in black leather. She winced as he raised a large furry hand and relaxed a little as he pressed it against her cheek.

"Good girl," he said mockingly "We have a deal."

"What?!" Tifa exclaimed as he strode over towards her "No! No deal! Anne!"

"Tifa!" Anne held a hand out when the king began dragging her out by the ankle.

"Stay!"

Anne winced and forced herself to remain seated there, watching as Tifa screamed in protest while getting dragged out of the room. She buried her face in her hands and began sobbing uncontrollably.

* * *

"No, don't listen to her!" Tifa screeched as she was dragged through the castle "She's only eighteen, she doesn't know what she's saying, let her go, keep me!"

"Silence!" Sephiroth bellowed as he arrived at the stables.

He slung the martial artist onto the black Chocobo nearby which was already saddled and glancing at the red Chocobo which the half-Wiccan had brought with her.

"Poppy?!" Tifa exclaimed as Sephiroth muttered a spell to tie her to the saddle "Hey!"

Sephiroth ignored her struggles as he took the Chocobo by the reins and led it out into the courtyard where a Dhole, a Gray Wolf and a White Shepherd greeted him at the gates. He let go of the reins and shoved the Chocobo on its rump, encouraging it to run out towards the exit of the kingdom. The gates slowly closed as the Gray Wolf looked up at the tower where Anne's silhouette was seen.

"Is she the one?" he asked curiously to which Sephiroth sneered.

"We'll just have to wait and see," he said before heading back inside.


	5. Chapter 6

Anne forced back her emotions as she sat there by the window, the black Chocobo with her sister out of view by now and she wiped the tears away, her eyes burning as she tried getting up. Her legs were still shaking so she stumbled, grabbing onto the window sill and lowering herself back onto chair. She began breathing deeply, trying to calm down and stop the things in the room spinning. She then spotted her fallen Book of Shadows and grabbed it quickly, hugging it to her chest and sighed.

"Better," she whispered as she thumbed the spine slowly "Much better…"

She lifted her head when the door opened and the cursed king entered, looking at her trembling form as he approached her on all fours, his green gaze examining her tear-stained face as he stopped in front of her, his foul breath meeting her sensitive nose. She swallowed quietly as he growled softly, sniffing up her neck and down her dress. She flinched when he suddenly stood up, his shadow swallowing her.

"Come with me."

Anne stood up but stumbled when her legs still felt like jelly. The king's hand grabbed her arm to keep her steady and she pressed a hand against his chest to balance herself. She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes and stood up straight, looking up at him with an air of resilience. The king didn't seem convinced as she stumbled slightly on her first step so held his hand around her shoulders, thumb with a firm grip over the left shoulder whilst the other four fingers draped around the right, reminding the young girl just how big he was. She walked alongside him, legs still shaking slightly as they went downstairs.

"You…didn't let me say goodbye," she whispered.

"Wasn't part of the deal."

Anne twisted her lip when she smacked herself internally for a stupid mistake. The king led her through the dark castle, her eyes focused on the floor as she hugged the Book of Shadows to her chest. She reached behind her to pull her hood over her head to feel more secure but was halted at the soft snarl the king gave her.

"I want to see you in your entirety," he said.

Anne nodded as she lowered her hand and focused on the floor again as they walked. Eventually they stopped in front of two large, wooden doors and the king carefully let her go. She swayed a little but stayed on her feet, looking up at him nervously. He was huge, it nearly hurt her neck to meet his gaze. However, as if reading her thoughts, the king fell onto all fours, his eye level meeting hers.

"You are a very small creature," he commented.

"You are just very big," Anne retorted and flinched at his snort "Forgive me."

The king opened the doors to reveal a bedroom that had a queen-sized bed with a purple bedspread, a wardrobe, a door to an adjoining bathroom, some drawers and a vanity. He nudged her in and she complied, stopping in the middle of the room and turning to face him as he lingered in the doorway.

"You will stay here," he said "If you need anything, ask my servants. They'll be more than happy to comply with your wishes. Aerith, the seamstress, will arrive shortly to take your measurements so she can fit some new clothes on for you. You will be dining with me tonight in three hours. Is that clear?"

Anne nodded, her fingers quivering around the Book of Shadows. The king eyed the book warily before standing up.

"How long have you been studying magic?" he asked.

"My mother was always investing her time in it so I've been studying it for as long as I can remember," Anne replied "I've been practicing it since she passed away ten years ago."

The king growled thoughtfully before dropping back down onto all fours.

"I suppose it goes without saying, no violent magic," he grumbled.

"Yes, of course," Anne nodded.

"You can go anywhere within the castle grounds except the West Wing," the king gave further instructions "If you do trespass there, I will not hesitate to make you face the consequences."

"I understand."

The king turned and used two tails to close the doors behind him.

"Until later, little Wiccan."

"Wait!"

Anne flinched at the soft snarl when the king turned to her as she spoke.

"My name is Anne," she said softly "Just in case you need a label other than 'little Wiccan'…"

The king sounded amused as he got up onto his hind legs, his tails leaving the door handles.

"Sephiroth," he said "However, you may address me as 'Your Majesty'."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Anne recited as she picked up the skirt of her dress and curtseyed.

Sephiroth growled in amusement once more before closing the doors. Anne stood in the centre of room, listening to his footsteps before blowing some hair out of her face.

"Geez and I thought Weiss was narcissistic," she mumbled before collapsing to her knees.

* * *

"Progress at last," Genesis sighed as he sprawled out on the sofa tiredly.

"Hope is here, I feel so excited," Aerith giggled as she and Yuffie held hands happily.

"We'll be human again!" Zack cheered with a massive grin.

Angeal chuckled at Zack's excitement before adopting a sombre face.

"He still has a long way to go," he said "I don't think that first impression was exceptional."

"Relax, 'Geal, we've got time!" Zack sighed as he snuggled Aerith "And with a support team like us, he'll be able to show how good of a man he really is!"

"Zack, the second to last bud is starting to open."

The happy aura was vanquished almost instantly as the half-canine servants deflated at the thought. Genesis tugged at one of his red fox ears and huffed.

"So I suppose we just cross our fingers that this dinner goes alright and it'll be uphill from there on?" he muttered sarcastically.

"Unlikely, it's not going to happen overnight, is it?" Cid grumbled as he folded his arms, spitting out his toothpick.

"One step at a time," Aerith said with a clap of her hands "Anyway, I need to go and get her measurements in order to give her clothes for her stay."

"Get her to tell you everything about herself," Zack whispered "We need a solid plan to get them to fall in love!"

"To get her to see the good in him," Angeal corrected with a swat around his newfoundland ear "Wrong curse."

"Actually, I think they'd make a wonderful couple," Aerith smiled wistfully.

"You said the same thing with her sister," Genesis scowled "Stop making everything a love story and get her to spill the beans about herself."

Aerith huffed as she left the room with an annoyed look.

"Besides," Genesis yawned as he leaned on Angeal's shoulder "I would hope His Majesty had a more refined taste in women."

* * *

Rosso observed the young girl taking a nap on her new bed from outside the castle grounds in the shelter of one of the trees that towered over the iron fence. She smirked thoughtfully before snapping her fingers, not once taking her eyes off her petite form.

"Demetrius, I summon thee," she said in a tone of authority.

A young man with neatly combed hair and bright green eyes appeared beneath her, licking his lips as he was given a telepathic image of the girl.

"How adorable," he purred.

"Yes, he finally found someone that might be able to break the curse," Rosso said with frustrated narrowed eyes "There will be a storm tomorrow, Demetrius. You can perhaps sneak in and seek sympathy from the girl. She is a naïve one."

"Can I have some fun with her?" Demetrius asked.

"No," Rosso purred "Not before I study her properly. Half-Wiccan and she's been studying her culture for over ten years, it's rare to find that kind of dedication nowadays."

"I thought you were more into pure breeds," Demetrius said with a shrug.

"Nothing a simple blood conversion ritual will solve," Rosso said dismissively "Pure Wiccans are rare to find since they mingled with humans to protect their race. She would be perfect for my collection."

Her red lips quirked into a devious smirk when the seamstress entered the room and the two of them disappeared from sight.

* * *

Aerith cooed at the young girl who was curled up on the bed and carefully made her way over to pet her on the arm.

"Hello?" she whispered and the girl stirred "Hello?"

Anne's eyes slowly opened and she looked up at her tiredly.

"Tifa?" she mumbled.

"No, my name is Aerith," Aerith smiled as Anne sat up and rubbed her eyes "I'm here to take your measurements, make you some nice clothes for your stay here."

"Nice?" Anne echoed, still a bit disorientated "Clothes?"

Aerith smiled as she helped her to her feet and took her cloak off to put up. Anne stared at her tail curiously and Aerith simpered, wagging it.

"Part of our curse," she explained "We all turned into dogs because of that witch that came here all those years ago."

"Why did she curse you as well as the king?" Anne asked as Aerith got her measuring tape out and she spread her arms out.

"I suppose that was how angry she was," Aerith shrugged "Do you have a favourite colour?"

"Black," Anne replied and Aerith hissed softly.

"Hm," she hummed "He wouldn't like that so I'm sorry."

"What does it matter?" Anne asked as she rubbed some more sleep out of her eye.

"The king enjoys being surrounded by beautiful things," Aerith shrugged.

Anne rolled her eyes as she twisted her lips in annoyance.

"How nice," she drawled and Aerith smiled.

"Everyone has their faults," she said "The king will learn in time to look for the beauty underneath."

"How long has he been cursed for?" Anne asked challengingly with a raised eyebrow.

Aerith paused for a moment as she measured Anne's height and hummed.

"Well, I suppose it has been over half a century…" she said slowly and Anne snorted derisively "But really, he is a very good man!"

Anne gave her a blank look.

"Do you know how damaged my sister was when I found her in that tower?" she asked "He did that to her. I'm not ready to forgive him so easily yet."

"He has a bit of a temper, yes," Aerith grimaced "But he's not all that bad."

"I have yet to see that," Anne sniffed after Aerith took her waist measurements.

Aerith scribbled numbers down on her parchment before smiling at Anne.

"Can I quickly fix your hair for the dinner?"

Anne blinked then shrugged, sitting down in front of the vanity. Aerith grinned before grabbing the brush to untangle the knots and carefully did a crown braid around her head and added a few flowers from her basket. Anne glowered at the red petals that adorned her head and looked away.

"They stay as long as I can use them for alchemy," she muttered.

"Sure, as you wish," Aerith smiled "You look very pretty."

She stepped back in alarm when Anne pushed back on her stool and stood, glaring up at her.

"Just so you know, I don't appreciate being some object that needs to look pretty," she said venomously "I expect men to hold that opinion but when women like you start preaching about looks, it makes me sick."

"I'm sorry, I just…"

"Just leave, you have my measurements."

Aerith looked hurt but retreated from the room to leave Anne alone. She took in a deep breath in the corridors and smiled wryly.

"See?" she said smugly to an amused Genesis who had been eavesdropping "They both know how to hurt people's feelings."

"Darling, I do have to admit," Genesis raised his hands "I had my doubts, I really did. However I have come to the conclusion that…"

He glanced at the doors to Anne's room with a smirk.

"I am most likely going to get along with this girl," he folded his arms with a grin "Nothing beats a girl who isn't all flowers and ribbons."

Aerith huffed as she turned and flounced away from Genesis who snickered.


	6. Chapter 7

Zack, Angeal and Genesis watched Sephiroth pace up and down by the long wooden table moodily, he now wore a shirt to cover his chest after Aerith's little speech of modesty. They now waited for the seamstress to fetch their guest and Genesis had a smug look on him.

"I have to admit, your personalities might clash," he warned "But I do suppose that the common thought is that opposites attract."

"Yeah, it's like you're two pieces that will fit together perfectly!" Zack said enthusiastically.

"You are forgetting the task at hand," Sephiroth snarled as he stopped to loom over the fox and Newfoundland.

"Your Majesty, the first step is to get along with her," Angeal said calmly as the king resumed pacing "Maybe she'll prove to be good companionship."

Sephiroth just growled as he paused by the fire to stare into the embers thoughtfully. The door opened and all canine ears pricked up in anticipation. The coyote hybrid sauntered in with Anne in tow before morphing into a full coyote to join her lover's side. Anne swallowed uneasily before gazing up at the cursed king who made his way over, standing on his hind legs to look down at her.

"What is this?" he growled.

"Pardon?" Anne whimpered as she trembled uneasily in his shadow.

She then realised her first initial mistake and took the skirt of her dress to curtsey.

"Excuse my manners, Your Majesty," she said.

"No, not that," Sephiroth snarled and she flinched, stepping back a little.

"Your Majesty," Angeal started.

"What are you lot still doing here?" Sephiroth growled at them "Out!"

Anne stepped to the side to give better room as the dogs ran out of the dining room, slamming the doors shut. She swallowed harshly as Sephiroth raised a clawed hand to tap her braid that Aerith had done.

"This," he grumbled as she forced herself to stay still in case he scratched her "what is this?"

"A braid, Your Majesty," Anne answered whilst gazing at her folded hands.

"Look at me!"

Anne looked up at him with wide eyes and Sephiroth's demeanour softened somewhat. He grumbled softly whilst dropping down to all fours so she didn't have to crane her neck so much. She shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny as he narrowed his eyes.

"It's unnecessary," he said.

"Your seamstress thought otherwise so I let her put it in," Anne said whilst shifting on the spot.

"Hn, trust her," Sephiroth muttered sullenly "The only thing she is good at is making dresses. Let me."

Anne let Sephiroth go back up onto his hind legs so he could pluck the blossoms out. She was slightly taken back with how gentle he seemed as he removed the red flowers adorning her head. She raised a hand when he made a motion to toss them in the fire.

"She said I could use them for alchemy," she said.

"Alchemy?"

Anne nodded and hunched her shoulders.

"A lot of Wiccan alchemy includes natural plants and I want to play around for a bit with those flowers."

Sephiroth looked at the flowers in his palm thoughtfully before placing them on the table.

"May I watch you?" he asked and Anne looked up at him in brief alarm before forcing herself to nod "I am unfamiliar with Wiccan traditions, they do well to hide themselves."

"I see," she muttered whilst hunching her shoulders shyly and staring back down at the floor.

Sephiroth then sliced the ribbons holding her braids in place before untangling them, letting her hair fall loose and wild. He carefully combed his fingers through her hair to make it less messy before stepping back.

"Better," he grumbled before taking a flower to tuck behind her ear.

Anne's hands clenched in frustration but she bore with it as he offered her a seat to take.

* * *

"I swear, I could kill him!" Aerith hissed as she and the other servants listened by the door.

"Maybe they do have something in common after all," Genesis smirked wryly.

"She's rather…" Angeal hummed uncertainly "I don't know, meek?"

"Just wait until he says something that insults her," Genesis grinned and pointed to Aerith "She wasted no time giving Miss Flower here a piece of her mind."

"Oh do shut up, Genesis," Aerith glared up at the red fox hybrid.

A roar bellowed out from the dining room which prompted them to scurry off down the corridor.

* * *

Anne shivered as she nursed her ears from the roar that the king had let out. Sephiroth observed her from his side of the table and cleared his throat.

"Tell me about yourself," he ordered and Anne opened her eyes shyly to look at him.

"I, uh…" she murmured whilst looking around for something to say "What exactly do you want to know, Your Majesty?"

"You mentioned that your mother is deceased," Sephiroth said as he took a sip of wine "Tell me about your family."

Anne stared down at the food before her and swallowed to muster the courage to speak.

"My father passed away shortly after my mother's death," she began talking as she poked the slices of white meat on her plate "He was distraught and even though Tifa and I tried to console him, we were just as upset as he was, he managed to find our mother notes on Wiccan studies. He found the ritual that was designed to bring the dead back and before I could stop him, he was killed."

She dared to look up and meet Sephiroth's frosty stare.

"You see, I'm half Wiccan on my mother's side and for the ritual, or any Wiccan ritual for that matter, to work, you need Wiccan blood. My father didn't know that until it was too late."

Sephiroth tilted his head to the side curiously and Anne shifted to look back down at the food.

"Any Wiccan magic requires the blood of a Wiccan," she finished and pricked a potato with her fork to eat it.

"So that's what that knife is for," Sephiroth muttered.

"Um, may I ask?" Anne murmured shyly "Why did you kill that Stregherian's family?"

Sephiroth's hand hesitated over the slab of meat he was about to pick up and he growled softly at the memory.

"Must you know?" he asked darkly.

Anne watched the way his lips pulled back to show off his sharp looking teeth and she shook her head hurriedly.

"Forgive me."

Awkward silence filled the air as they continued eating. Anne's eyes kept drifting over to the window where she could see the darkness covering the gardens. She wondered what kind of plants were grown in such a spacious looking garden and wished to explore it tomorrow when it was light. Once her appetite was sated, she placed her cutlery down, flinching slightly at the way Sephiroth stood abruptly. He offered his hand and Anne stared at it before placing her hand over his furry thumb and gathering the flowers up from the table. He led her back to her room where she picked up her Book of Shadows and looked up at him as he loomed over her.

"Do you have any alchemical tools?" she asked timidly whilst placing the flowers down her vanity.

"Depends," Sephiroth said as he dropped down to all fours "Which ones?"

"Well, a crucible, a mortar and pestle…" Anne hummed as she ran a finger down one of the pages in the book "Oh, and candles!"

"Zack!"

Anne jumped as Sephiroth bellowed out a name and a young man with Newfoundland ears and an eagerly wagging Newfoundland tail bounded in.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" he said whilst bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, eager to await orders.

"Find a crucible, a mortar and pestle and candles, now!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zack gave a cheery wave to Anne.

"Nice to meet you!" he said with a goofy grin.

"Go!"

Zack yelped and ran out, morphing into a Newfoundland as he went to fetch the things Sephiroth had ordered. Sephiroth growled lowly at him before noticing Anne's hands covering her ears, her eyes watering as she stared down at her feet. He poked his snout against her cheek and she snapped her focus to him, trembling.

"What's wrong?"

Anne's eyes widened and she wiped her tears away.

"No, it's just…" she mumbled "When you raise your voice like that my ears hurt. It's nothing."

Sephiroth sat down and watched as she sliced her fingertip to draw a pentagram on the stone floor by the carpet. It wasn't long until Zack stumbled in with the equipment needed and Anne handed him a list of ingredients next. Sephiroth continued watching silently as Anne set the crucible down in the centre of the pentagram, whispering something in Wiccan language as she filled it with water and set a steady magic fire underneath. He watched her crush ingredients, mix them into the mixture in the crucible, light the candles around the crucible and sacrifice some locks of her hair. The way her eyes lit up after one step was finished intrigued him, it was strange. When Anne eventually looked up and met his green gaze, she swallowed.

"It has to simmer overnight," she said.

"What is it exactly?" Sephiroth asked.

"Hopefully an object manipulation potion," Anne replied as she rose from her place "I'll test it tomorrow."

"Very well," Sephiroth rose and walked over to her "I bid you goodnight then."

Anne nodded shyly whilst focusing on her feet. Sephiroth scowled lightly.

"Look at me," he said and placed his hands on her shoulders.

She looked up at him, trembling lightly as his thumbs came up to brush against her cheeks. She winced when one black claw cut her under her eye, leaving a crescent shaped mark. Sephiroth raised his hand to taste the blood on his claw, not once losing eye contact with her. He remained silent as he let go of her, fell onto all fours and left the bedroom, turning before he closed the doors.

"Don't heal it," he commanded before Anne could get her healing oil.

Anne stared at him in bewilderment before stepping away from the blue bottle and curtseying as he closed the doors. He glanced down at his claws, remembering how easy it had been to slice open her skin like that. Shaking the memory of her pained eyes away, he went down the corridors, towards the West Wing.

* * *

Don't heal it? Anne sighed as she examined her cut further in the mirror. It wasn't deep but it had hurt. Sure, she'd cut her palm many times and it was used to the feel of the Wiccan blade by now. Anne never cut her face through. She sighed as she bottled up the blood that was running down her cheek for later use, glaring as it didn't look like it was going to stop soon. That was surely going to scar…

Anne's eyes widened in realisation. Was this him marking her? Did he not want her to use her healing oil because of that? But wasn't this a trial just to make sure she did obey his every command? Why would he want to mark her? That was the most animalistic thing he could have ever done. Anne's hand left the cut as she stared at her reflection blankly. He was an animal. He was a man. Men were possessive, jealous things, it made her sick in her stomach. Standing up, she tied her hair up into a ponytail, closing her eyes to picture torturing Weiss and Nero to soothe her rage.

She wouldn't be able to see them again, she suddenly realised. Or Tifa or Cloud. Or Max and Bandit. She let the tears fall again whilst she pulled the curtains to the window closed, nearly tearing the fabric and began taking her dress off. She simply crawled under the covers of the bed in her undergarments and slowly drifted off to sleep, not sensing the storm that was brewing on the horizon.


	7. Chapter 8

Tifa was going to kill him. Cloud dug his heel into his Chocobo once more as he glanced at his map, accompanied with Anne's little note saying that she was going to go and look for her older sister. What had prompted it? Tifa would have brought her along if she wanted to watch her compete. Cloud wasn't even sure how long she'd been gone but the moment he had comprehended the situation, he grabbed his Chocobo and set off to look for her. It had been hours and dawn was starting to break, however his determination had encouraged him to persevere. He had to get Anne before something happened.

He perked up as he saw a Chocobo coming down the road and stuck a hand out to stop it. When it did halt, Cloud saw clearly what was strapped into its saddle and jumped off his Chocobo the moment it began slowing down.

"Tifa!" he cried out as the black Chocobo squawked and the martial artist fell onto the damp road.

It began running back the way it came as Cloud gathered Tifa in his arms, eyes widening at her bruises and grazes.

"Tifa, what happened?" he whispered as he cupped her face whilst she stirred.

"Anne?" she murmured "Where's Anne?"

Cloud swallowed harshly as the cold dread settled and he sighed.

"I don't know, she went looking for you," he replied and Tifa looked more upset.

"No…he's going to…he's going to kill her!"

Tifa thrashed out but whined in pain which prompted Cloud to pick her up and stand.

"We need to get you back home," he said as he made his way back to his Chocobo.

"Anne! Anne! Cloud, a monster, a hideous monster's got her! He's going to kill her!"

"Tifa, you're hurt, we need to get you to a doctor as quickly as possible," Cloud soothed "I'll go and find Anne once you're safely in bed, resting and healing. I promise."

"No, he's going to kill my baby sister…" Tifa sobbed as Cloud mounted his Chocobo with her "I need to save her, Anne!"

Cloud cradled her to his chest whilst turning his Chocobo to head back to the village. Tifa, perhaps delirious, perhaps panicked, simply wailed.

"Anne!"

* * *

"Tifa!"

Anne shot up from her sleep, panting wildly as she stared ahead blindly whilst recovering from her dream. She looked around, slowly taking in the lavish surroundings and groaning lethargically.

"It wasn't a dream," she murmured sullenly.

She yawned tiredly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. As she lowered her hand, she was met with a small package. Looking at the card that accompanied it, Anne realised that Aerith had made a dress to try on to make sure it fit. She huffed softly, stepping down from the bed and pulling a dark blue dress with short sleeves and a reasonably long skirt. She nodded in approval before trying it on, sucking in a breath when it felt too tight around the chest area.

"That's always a problem," she muttered "At least I don't tear them like Tifa…"

She was then met with a soft scent of herbs and saw the brewing potion in the centre of the room, grinning happily. She rushed out of the room to look for an item to test it on.

* * *

"All you got was that her favourite colour was black?" Genesis raised an unamused brow as Aerith shrugged helplessly whilst stitching Zack's shirt.

"Well, all witches dress in black, don't they?" Zack shrugged "You know and they fly around on broomsticks."

"Witches in fairy tales do that, Zack," Angeal shook his head.

"And Anne's a Wiccan, don't simply call her a witch," Aerith sighed as she rolled her eyes "She doesn't quite fit your stereotype of green skin, black robes, pointy hat and broomstick riding I'm afraid. She simply wields magic, plain and simple."

"How boring," Yuffie stuck her tongue out as she juggled her rune stones.

A scream echoed through the castle and the servants caught sight of a figure flitting past the open doors of Aerith's sewing room. They shared an alarmed look before rushing out into the corridor to see Anne clinging onto a broomstick as it did a U-turn and went zooming past the top of their heads. Zack's face showed pure ecstasy as he pointed to her screaming form.

"She's riding a broomstick!"

"More like getting dragged by it," Genesis drawled before racing after her, turning into a nearly complete red blur.

Anne was upside down when he caught up with the broomstick's pace, legs and hands wrapped around the handle as her eyes were tightly squeezed shut.

"Good morning!" Genesis said and she peeked one eye open to look at him "The name's Genesis!"

"Anne Lockhart!" Anne squeaked.

"Pleasure to meet you!" Genesis smirked "Care to explain what this commotion is about?!"

"Either the object manipulation potion wasn't finished brewing or the flowers that were given to me weren't the kind I had thought they were!"

"Is there a way to st-"

SMACK!

Anne yelped when the broom turned a sharp corner and Genesis, not looking where he was going, ran straight on and collided into the stone wall in front of him, getting stuck into it in the process. Once Zack and Angeal found him, Zack howled in laughter, falling down onto his knees and holding his tummy whilst pointing at the redhead. Angeal could only force back a smirk before rushing over to help pry him out.

* * *

Aerith ducked when Anne whizzed past on her broomstick, flying upside down now, and began circling the foyer.

"Anne, are you OK?!"

"Dandy, just dandy!" Anne replied as she navigated her way around the stone beams "The dress fits fine but it's tight around the bust!"

"Right, I knew I shouldn't have made your bust size smaller," Aerith huffed as she scribbled a note down on her notepad "Oh yes, um, can you stop this?!"

"No idea! Really depends on which mistake I made! It wasn't firedrop flowers you put in my hair, was it?!"

"No, of course not!" Aerith frowned "The climate is too cold for them! I gave you flame lilies!"

"Damn it!" Anne shrieked as the broomstick began heading for the main doors.

Aerith rushed forward and opened them so the Wiccan spiralled out into the courtyard. Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo perked from their kennels and watched her fly around the open air with bewildered yet entertained looks. Aerith covered her mouth in horror as Anne swerved dangerously close to the trees, her hair snagging and breaking off branches as she hugged the broom for dear life.

* * *

Rosso and Demetrius watched from the shelter of the overgrown houses as the young Wiccan flew into their view, clearly visible against the white, cloudy sky when she began circling the towers of the castle.

"Which witches fly on broomsticks?" Demetrius asked with a curious frown.

"Those that exist in storybooks," Rosso said as she slapped him around the ear "She's probably doing a spell."

She observed the young Wiccan screaming as she flew up then straight back down towards the back gardens.

"She'll need a little smoothing around the edges," she observed with an interested smirk.

* * *

Sephiroth lifted his head from his pillows when he heard a scream.

"Now what?" he grumbled "It better not be Cid walking in on Aerith and Zack again."

He slowly got up from his den of pillows, cushions and blankets, plodding out to his balcony to inhale the fresh morning air. His daily morning ritual was disturbed, however, as a certain Wiccan on a broomstick flew straight past him, just about missing his nose.

"Good morning, Your Majesty!" Anne cried and screamed as the broomstick dived down into the courtyard.

Sephiroth froze mid-stretch as he slowly registered what had just happened.

* * *

Aerith ducked as Anne went spiralling through the foyer and watched as the broomstick went down another corridor and she was joined by Zack to chase after it. Zack managed to match the broomstick's speed so he could grin at Anne.

"Hiya!" he said with a wave "I'm Zack! You're pretty for a witch!"

"I'm a Wiccan!" Anne corrected.

"What's the difference?"

"_What's the difference?!_"

"Watch out!" Aerith shrieked as she overtook them to open the doors to the ballroom.

Anne's grip did not once loosen as the broomstick soared high into the ballroom and circled the chandelier.

"Aerith, what's the difference between a witch and Wiccan?" Zack panted as he fell to his knees by his lover.

"A witch is a more broad term for those that practice magic whereas a Wiccan is someone that follows the culture of Wicca," Aerith panted as she stumbled into the ballroom "Anne, how are you doing?!"

"I think I'm going to be sick!"

A roar shook the ballroom as Sephiroth leapt over Aerith and Zack to look up at Anne and her broomstick.

"Kyanseru!"

Anne gasped as the broomstick dropped and she grabbed onto the chandelier as it fell and landed on the floor, lifeless. She shivered and whimpered as she clung onto the chandelier, her eyes closed tight. Sephiroth stood on his hind legs and held his arms out.

"Fall," he commanded.

"What?! From this height?!"

"I'll catch you, now fall!"

Anne looked down at the drop and gasped, closing her eyes again.

"I can't!"

"Trust me, I'll catch you, fall!"

Anne whined as she reluctantly let go of the chandelier and fell. She screamed as she fell and landed in the big, furry arms of the cursed king. She hiccupped and swallowed back her tears as he set her down, sitting with her as she fell to her knees, shaking terribly.

"Anne!" Aerith and Zack rushed forward to check on the young Wiccan as she bit down on her lip to suppress her emotions.

"Mm fine," she mumbled as she trembled helplessly.

She looked up at Sephiroth as he placed a hand on her shoulder and let out a soft sigh. He terrified her. If the large, slightly grotesque and frightening looks didn't scare her enough, his magic core emitted so much dark energy. She felt that discharge of power he used to stop the broom and it frightened her terribly. Sephiroth's green eyes looked her up and down and his lips pulled back into a snarl.

"Leave us," he commanded.

"But, Your Majesty…" Aerith started.

"I said leave us!"

The Newfoundland's ears flattened as he took the coyote's hand and led her out of the ballroom. Anne watched after them with a pleading look, as if to ask them to not leave her alone. Once the doors swung shut, Sephiroth her by the hips in both his hands and stood, carrying her at his eye level. The Wiccan kicked her legs helplessly as she was lifted off the floor, her eyes wide and alarmed as he growled lowly, sniffing her.

"You are a very frail Wiccan," he said and Anne clenched her fists that rested on his hands "Weak, small and your magic core is barely developing."

"Not everyone can be strong, gigantic and have a magic core filled to the brim with darkness," Anne retorted back and winced at the next snarl that let out some foul breath.

Sephiroth stared at her for a while then sat back down to place her in his lap. Anne continued staring up at him as he examined the scab under her eye. She winced as he cut his nail slightly deeper and took the scab off completely. If she hadn't been sure she would have a scar there before, she was definitely sure now. She watched as Sephiroth examined his blood-stained nail and placed a hand over her bleeding cheek.

"May I heal it now?" she asked.

"No," Sephiroth snarled as he glared down at her.

He placed her lying down on the floor before standing over her on all fours, his nose pressed to her cheek. He licked it clean before whispering.

"Kizuato."

Anne yelped as white hot pain flared through the cut and she reached to soothe it, only to have her hands pinned down. She kicked her legs as the pain raged through her face until it settled down and she relaxed when Sephiroth moved away from her.

"Don't forget," he said "You have given yourself to me."

Anne placed a hand on her cheek in horror when she realised he made sure she was permanently scarred. She clenched her fists to the point where her nails dug into her palms and stood, glaring at the retreating back of the king.

"Was it for power?" the Wiccan asked the Shinto "Did you kill her family for power?"

The Shinto paused, his tails twitching curiously.

"Does it matter?" he growled.

"The darkness in your core," the Wiccan said boldly "it could have only come from sacrificed souls."

The Shinto turned to observe the Wiccan over his shoulder before opening the doors and stepping out.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he grumbled before turning to look at her thoughtful composure "No testing potions without my observation."

He nodded stiffly before skulking through the corridors, leaving the young Wiccan to feel her new scar and shed a few tears by herself.


	8. Chapter 9

"Ow, ow, careful," Genesis whined as Angeal carefully cradled a bag of ice to his black eye "It stings…"

"And now we know why we look where we're running whilst employing our super speed," Angeal lectured him as Zack and Aerith wandered into the kitchen.

"Even when we're greeting the new girl?"

"Even when we're greeting the new girl and especially if she's riding a broomstick."

Genesis smirked as a curious looking Aerith sat opposite from him.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a hint of mischievousness "Still happy with our guest?"

"So long as she doesn't hop back onto a broomstick," came the sullen answer as Angeal placed a bowl of porridge in between them.

Aerith giggled as Zack lunged for his bowl eagerly, his tail wagging happily in anticipation. Genesis huffed, his red fox tail fluffed up as it rested on the bench he was sat on. As they continued chatting they didn't notice the Wiccan lingering at the open door, watching their interactions. Anne's dulled red eyes moved back and forth whilst the red fox began eating his porridge carefully whilst the Newfoundland ate messily, his porridge flying everywhere. The Doberman looked exasperated yet resigned at this action whilst the coyote licked the spots of food around her lover's mouth. A tall, gruff looking man walked in through a door, scruffy and tired as if he'd just woken up. Anne identified his dingo ears and tail before he walked out of view. She withheld her sigh, it looked like a warming scene and yet all she could ever be was an observer.

"Whatcha up to?"

Anne snapped her head to the sound of the voice and her nose bumped with another. She stared into the brown, twinkling eyes as she slowly registered that there was a girl, slightly younger than her and sporting jackal ears and tail, floating upside down beside her with her arms full of rocks. She blinked a few times before tilting her head curiously.

"How are you doing that?" she asked.

"Anti-Gravity Rune," the girl held up one of the rocks she was holding and showed it to her.

"Oh my Gaia and Odin!" Anne exclaimed as she took the rune "I've been wanting to hunt for rune stones and study them for some time now!"

"Oi!"

Anne watched in fright as the girl fell and her rune stones scattered from her arms once she landed. The Wiccan was then bombarded by several other rune stones that were hovering above her and they rolled along the corridor much to their owner's dismay.

"Don't do that again…" she mumbled and sat up to glare at her.

"Yuffie, have you been digging up your rune stones again?" Aerith sighed as she wandered outside then spotted Anne "Oh, hello there, I…"

Her eyes widened in horror and she pointed at Anne with a mortified look. Anne's eyebrows shot up and she looked down at her dress to see it was still intact.

"Are you OK?" she asked the seamstress warily.

"How did you get that?!" Aerith demanded and Anne's eyes widened in alarm when she realised she spoke of the scar Sephiroth had gave her.

Anne's hand flew up to cover it and she looked away, handing the rune stone in her hand back to Yuffie.

"He…uh…" she mumbled softly and shied away from Aerith's comforting hand.

Aerith looked furious as Yuffie began collecting her stash of rune stones from the corridor floor and flounced off in the direction of the lobby. Anne watched her before turning her head to be met with Genesis's bruised face.

"Oh dear," she mumbled as she eyed his bleeding lip, black eye and slightly dented nose.

"So it's a pleasure to meet you," the red fox smiled painfully whilst extending a hand.

"Likewise," Anne shook his hand.

She stumbled as Genesis pulled her forward and examined the scar under her eye. She watched his blue eyes narrow in disgust, or perhaps it was disappointment, before letting go of her hand.

"Come in, come in, have some breakfast," Genesis smiled as he ushered the young girl into the kitchen "Angeal makes the best porridge."

Angeal chuckled as he placed a steaming bowl of porridge in front of Anne as she got sat down by the redhead.

"You're just saying that," he said.

"Angeal, darling," Genesis purred as he brushed himself up against the Doberman "I have eaten your porridge every day for these past six decades and haven't gotten sick of it. It's the best porridge."

Anne smiled at the affection the couple display before gazing down at the bowl before her. She picked up her spoon but before she dipped it in, she hesitated. Suddenly, her stomach's hunger was replaced with homesickness. The memories of her mother's porridge, Tifa trying to replicate their mother's cooking and that one disaster Cloud made in the kitchen suddenly all crashed on top of her and she swallowed back another onslaught of tears, repressing her emotions.

"Hey."

Anne was broken out of her trance by Zack's hand being waved in front of her and turned to the Newfoundland sitting next to her. He smiled encouragingly and spread his arms out.

"You look like you need a hug," he said and Anne scooted away from him with panicked eyes.

"I do not hug men," she said sternly and Zack whined, as if he was a kicked puppy.

He stared at her for a brief moment before morphing into his Newfoundland form, looking up at her with pleading eyes and his tongue lolled out. Anne stared at him for a few long seconds and held her arms out for him to snuggle into her.

"Be sure to wash your hands before you eat," the dingo man said gruffly as he ate his porridge "You've got no idea what he's carrying."

Zack growled as Anne looked at him questioningly. He just grinned and shrugged.

"Name's Cid," he said "Welcome to this castle of madness and may Shiva have mercy on your soul."

"Anne," Anne said with a stiff nod then glanced at the open door warily to see Yuffie still collecting her rune stones.

"Hm?" Cid hummed as he glanced at the rune stone enthusiast "You like rune stones?"

"I want to study them, yes," Anne murmured although that wasn't her main concern.

She watched the young jackal murmur things under her breath, making the stones levitate around her and continued stroking Zack's ears. She felt vulnerable without her knife and surrounded by men, maybe she should just quickly rush to her room to grab it. But the moment she stood, Genesis was in front of her.

"What's wrong, you not hungry?" he asked with a frown "You should have something for breakfast every day to keep healthy."

"I need to get something from my room," Anne said quickly.

"I can get it for you," Yuffie offered.

"No!" Anne shrieked and shifted on the spot "I can do it myself, I won't be long!"

"What's the matter, did we say something to offend ya?" Cid asked with a frown and Zack whined.

"We're sorry if we did!" he said.

"No, no, I just need to grab something and I'll be right back!" Anne's voice went up an octave.

"Calm down," Angeal's fatherly voice cut through to her senses.

All eyes went to the cook who approached Anne slowly.

"No-one's going to hurt you," he said then gestured to where the scar was on her face "That mark, His Majesty knows what you're thinking and feeling through it."

Anne jumped at the knowledge and touched the scar with a disgusted scowl.

"That can't be allowed," she hissed and the men shared a sympathised look.

"Sweetie," Genesis said with a shrug "It means he'll come running to you if you need help, he isn't spying on you or anything…"

Anne turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen, absent-mindedly snatching one of the rune stones that floated in the air.

"Oi, my rune stone!" Yuffie protested.

"I'm just borrowing it for a while," Anne said as she stormed out of the corridor, rubbing her thumb over the smooth texture of the object in her hand.

She found herself in the lobby, heading towards the main doors. She breathed in the morning air before sitting down on the steps, squeezing the rune stone in her hand gently before examining what was engraved into it. She had read up on rune stones before, how they helped those without magical blood gain and manipulate magic. It could also amplify the magic within one's blood and Anne's anger ebbed away at the thought of being able to go the distance with her magic studies. She felt a tear streaking out of the corner of her eye and sighed as she wiped it away.

"Help!" came a desperate cry accompanied with three sharp barks.

Anne's eyes widened as she watched a young man with short brown hair run across the courtyard, chased by a large Gray Wolf, a Dhole and a White Shepherd. She jumped to her feet and reached for her waist only to find that she wasn't wearing a belt and her knife was still in her room. She cast her eyes down at the rune stone in her hand then looked up to see the Gray Wolf before swallowing nervously and dashing out in between them. She flew herself in front of the Gray Wolf who skidded, trying to stop himself from colliding into her but to no avail. Anne squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation as he smacked into her, claws tearing her dress and fangs grazing against her skin and drawing blood. He fell over at the same time as the young Wiccan who felt her lip as pain throbbed her entire body.

"I'm sorry!" the wolf yelped as he scrambled up to his feet "You just came out of nowhere and I tried to stop but then I…"

"_Wynt!_" Anne cried out as she held the blood-stained rune stone up and a tornado surrounded her, sending the dogs flying high into the air.

She let out a breath and ran towards the man who was nursing a bleeding arm not far away.

"Are you OK?!" she gasped as she pressed a hand to his wound "Oh, no, of course you're not. Right, I have something which can take care of that."

"Urgh, thanks," the man groaned as she helped him up and helped him into the castle.

They both tensed when a roar echoed throughout the castle. Anne turned to the door where it had come from then glanced at the man.

"This way!"

She dragged him through a different door which led past the kitchen.

"Where are we going?!" the man exclaimed as she dragged him by the hand, looking around anxiously.

"Hopefully, my room," Anne replied as she hitched her dress up to run better "If not then Plan B."

"Plan B?"

"I stuff you in the broomstick cupboard under the staircase and divert his attention somehow."

"Huh? No way!"

"Come on, beggars can't be choosers!" Anne hissed "Especially when he's on our tail."

"Who's he?"

"You do not want to know."

Another roar ripped through the castle corridors and Anne cursed softly before sinking her teeth hard into her hand to draw more blood.

"This will only last briefly," she said whilst raising a finger "_Gyakt!_"

The man yelped as they turned into blurs, zipping in a complete loop around the castle until Anne was pushing him through her room and into the bathroom.

"Don't come out, I'll be right with you," she whispered before closing the door at around the same time Sephiroth barged into the room.

She lunged for the knife that lay on her vanity and winced when his hand slammed down on her wrist.

"Where is he?!" he demanded as Anne's ears rang from his raised voice.

"Your Majesty, calm yourself!" Aerith hissed as she followed after him.

"Leave us!" Sephiroth demanded as Anne tried to twist out of his grip.

"Why?" the half-Wiccan spat "So you can carve more hideous scars into my body without her seeing?"

Sephiroth roared as he grabbed her wrist tighter and held her up, standing tall on his hind legs as she squirmed in pain at being lifted by him.

"You insult the Crescent emblem?!" he snarled and Anne wrinkled her nose at his breath "You ought to feel blessed by wearing it, you ungrateful wench!"

"Your Majesty!" Aerith tried soothing him.

"You're just obsessed with owning beautiful things."

Sephiroth straightened at Anne's blunt comment as Aerith covered her mouth.

"And it's not just that," she said with narrowed eyes "You want power too. Just suck it all from Gaia until there's nothing left but an empty husk. How sad."

"Silence!"

Sephiroth raised his paw to strike her but was halted by Aerith grabbing onto him.

"Don't you think she's gone through enough?!" she protested and yelped when she was kicked aside ruthlessly.

Sephiroth raised his hand again only to be halted by Anne's challenging gaze.

"You could have done this yesterday," she said slowly and winced she began feeling the effects of her speeding spell.

Sephiroth froze in place, staring down at her warily then carefully switched his grip to her hips and sat down like a tame puppy. Anne swayed, feeling woozy as he placed his hands on her shoulders, using his thumbs to rub her reddening cheeks softly.

"Iyasu."

Anne blinked as her self-inflicted wounds healed at his command. She looked up at him in confusion whilst he nosed her forehead in an almost affectionate way and ran a black nail across where her scar was, making sure to not break her skin this time. That burst of magic…didn't feel so dark and ominous. However, it was still powerful and Anne trembled lightly when she felt its warm energy flow through her.

"Anne," the Shinto said soothingly "Tell me. Where is he?"

Anne looked defeated as she raised her hand and pointed to the bathroom. Sephiroth followed where her finger pointed and nodded, standing and carrying her to the bed. He tucked her in as she closed her eyes slowly and nosed her cheek.

"Sleep. Don't leave this room until I come back."

Anne relaxed in the bed as he stormed into the bathroom with a renewed rage. He glowered at the man that stood perched on the window, grinning and waving.

"Ciao."

"WAIT!" Sephiroth roared as he lunged for him.

Aerith winced at the crash, sighing when she realised he had broken yet another wall. She slowly got up and hobbled over to the slumbering girl, sighing and shaking her head.

"Maybe you shouldn't have come," she whispered.


	9. Chapter 10

Anne's eyesight was blurred when she woke, her hair sticking to her face from the sweat on her brow and her forehead was burning. She did not feel well at all. Her reflex was not as sharp as she wanted when something cool was pressed to her forehead and she found her hand loosely gripped around a slender wrist.

"Hey," Genesis's voice made Anne's vision picture him roughly leaning over her "You're burning up, Angeal and I are here with some soup, it'll make you feel better."

Anne glanced at the bowl in Angeal's hands then looked back up at Genesis before reaching out and tugging on his fox ear.

"Ow!" the redhead recoiled and nursed his ear sorely.

Anne grumbled and turned away from them, burrowing under the covers with a grumpy pout.

"Wake me up when this nightmare is over," she mumbled sullenly.

"Excuse me but you ought to feel privileged to be in my presence!" Genesis huffed as his tail waved side to side in agitation whilst Angeal chuckled "Angeal, make her better, I don't like it when she's sick and moody."

Angeal sat down on the bed, placing the bowl of soup on the bedside table and placed a hand on Anne's shoulder.

"His Majesty mentioned that you're suffering from a poorly executed spell," he said and Anne shoved his hand off her shoulder "I've mixed some Angelica into the soup, it can help restore your magical blood that you lost and settle His Majesty's magic within you."

"Not sick, not hungry…" Anne grumbled as she pulled a pillow over her head.

"Now, the last time you ate was over fifteen hours ago, you need something to nourish you."

Anne glared at Angeal over her shoulder briefly before turning to him and holding her hand out towards the bowl she could barely see. Angeal picked it up and set it on his lap. He dipped the spoon into the orange liquid, blowing on it then fed it to the sick girl. Anne's nose wrinkled at the taste but she kept eating when she caught Angeal's stern look. Once Angeal began moving off the bed, Anne launched herself to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders. Genesis jumped at the sudden movement then watched the girl's face crumble as she buried her face into Angeal's shoulder whilst he wrapped an arm around her, patting her back.

"You're really just a broken soul, aren't you?" Genesis remarked and caught Anne's feeble glare.

"Sick, delirious, onetime thing…" she mumbled as she took in Angeal's scent again.

Angeal smelt of…wood. There was this earthy scent to him which brought forward Anne's nostalgia. Her father was a woodcutter and she remembered the walks in the woods when it was just the two of them whilst Tifa and their mother cleaned the house and make a warm meal for them to come back to. He would tell her which birds sung which songs, which tracks belonged to which creatures and in the autumn time, he would pick a big apple for her to sink her teeth in. He always knew which apple would suit her standards just fine. And when it was a stormy night, she would run to hide in their parents' bed, always on her father's side. She remembered how his arms would hold her close to his chest, how their mother would hum a lullaby as she listened to her father's steady heartbeat and how his large hand would pat her on the back and carefully caress her hair, reassuring her that everything was alright.

"It's going to be alright," Angeal murmured and Anne's tears began running down her cheeks "You'll get better soon."

Anne sniffed and rested her burning forehead against his shoulder.

"You…give good hugs…" she grumbled.

Angeal gave her another pat on the back before helping her lie back down, smiling warmly.

"Does this normally happen after spells?" he asked whilst checking her temperature again.

"Only if I draw blood without my knife," came the feeble reply as she pointed to her vanity.

Genesis stood and went over to pick up the knife with the elegantly designed handle. He examined it and turned to her with wide eyes.

"This is the Valentine Ritual Dagger," he said and Anne nodded, holding her hand out for it.

"Grimoire Valentine is my ancestor," she explained "It's been passed down my family since he forged it."

Angeal and Genesis shared a look before Genesis went over to place the knife in her outstretched hand. She ran her fingers against the blade thoughtfully and smiled.

"And his son was Vincent Valentine, correct?" Genesis said as he sat next to Angeal whilst Anne looked at herself through the blade's reflection.

She nodded, grimacing softly and tilting her head.

"He was sealed in a coffin to leave to rot," she explained and clenched her hand around the handle "He was rescued by the woman who later went to have his children and continue the bloodline. It was around the time when Wiccans were hunted to be harvested for their magic."

She didn't notice the looks of horror in the men's eyes but she did feel a surge of dread from her scar and hissed, nursing it tenderly.

"You must be tired," Angeal said hurriedly as he and Genesis sprung up to their feet "Have some more rest, your fever will be gone by the morning at least, sleep well."

Anne blinked at their sudden departure but thought nothing of it whilst turning in her bed and closing her eyes, cradling the knife in her hands. Meanwhile, a woman in red regarded her through the window on her normal spot in the trees, watching her slumber.

* * *

"Half Wiccan through her mother's side," Angeal muttered as he and Genesis made their way to the kitchen with hurried footsteps "I knew I thought she looked familiar."

"Seriously, out of all the people that have magical blood in them, it had to be a Wiccan with Valentine blood?!" Genesis hissed in frustration "She can't know much about her ancestors, surely?"

"Well she knew enough to know of her knife's origins," Angeal shrugged "And to know about Vincent's…"

"Don't you dare mention that name!"

Angeal and Genesis jumped as they stopped in front of Sephiroth who towered over them with an irate look. Aerith stumbled after him, catching her breath.

"For goodness's sake, don't storm off like that when I'm in the middle of talking to you!" she breathed and fell to her knees.

"Is it really his dagger?" Sephiroth demanded whilst he ignored the seamstress.

"I was there when he tried to kill your father," Angeal confirmed "It is his dagger."

"If the stylish V on the handle isn't enough proof," Genesis snorted "she also confirmed it herself."

Sephiroth looked torn as he dropped down to all fours, glaring at the ground thoughtfully.

"Would someone please tell me what is going on?!" Aerith cried out as she felt lost.

"Our little Wiccan, who apparently is perfect to break this curse," Genesis glared at the seamstress who was still feeling lost on the conversation topic "has Valentine blood. She's descended from the man who was supposed to have died at the hands of Queen Lucrecia."

"What?!" Yuffie and Zack poked their heads out from the kitchen, mouths full of food.

"Did I hear the V word?" Cid asked gruffly as he came around the corner.

"Does she know what happened?" Sephiroth asked with a low growl.

"She knows that he was sealed in that coffin in the basement but apparently he managed to escape," Genesis shrugged "She hasn't expressed any knowledge of your heritage or the Crescent line."

"But there are many Wiccans out there claiming to be descended from the Valentines!" Aerith protested "How do you know it's not a fake dagger and claim?"

"Because I slaughtered most of them," Sephiroth replied grimly as he sat, covering his eyes "I never investigated our scoured for anyone under the name 'Valentine' because that bastard was supposed to be sealed in that damn coffin."

He looked up with a determined fury.

"No, the knife must have been found and passed to a Wiccan family, she can't be descended from him," he snarled.

"Your Majesty," Angeal sighed "Think about it. When you saw her sister, when you saw her, didn't you feel like you knew them before?"

Sephiroth glared at the wall in front for a moment before licking his chops. He then sprang up onto all fours and stormed down towards the basement, his servants trailing after him. He ripped down the charms decorating the door, he barged into the forbidden room and towered over the coffin that lay stood up against the wall.

"Kyanseru!"

The chains around the coffin snapped at his angry command and with a powerful swoop of his hand, he swiped the door off, making it slam and crumble into pieces once it collided into the stone wall. His eyes widened as he found the coffin empty and roared angrily, making the servants pause in mid-step on the stone staircase, assuming the worst.

* * *

Anne stirred as she heard the roar shake the castle and a searing pain of anger under her eye. A hand placed itself on her head and she looked up to see the man from before.

"Who are you?" she asked feebly.

The man simply grinned.

"Demetrius."

* * *

Rosso saw everything Demetrius saw and his eyes briefly glanced at the knife that was clutched in the Wiccan's hand and saw the red wood, decorated with silver markings. Her heart leapt, her breath was caught in her throat as she saw the iconic V of the Valentine clan and covered her mouth.

"Vincent," she whispered with a painful smile.

* * *

She had been a young apprentice, fleeing from the terrors of the castle. Vincent was leading her through the darkened corridors, running from the robed guards to avoid being the next ones upon the Crescent altar. It had been a few months since the previous king passed away and King Sephiroth had claimed the throne. During the coronation party, those with magical blood were captured and caged like pigs destined for the slaughterhouse. Vincent got out, found her and they were now running for their lives. She remembered the frightened tears in her eyes as her heart raced erratically.

"Halt!"

They had reached the lobby and there on top of the stairs in all her radiant glory stood Queen Lucrecia, her cold eyes glaring at the exhausted duo. Vincent's eyes blazed as he took out his knife from his belt and Rosso watched with young, surprised eyes as he brought it down onto his hand and spilt his blood.

"_Qrysta!_"

"Tanken!"

Daggers forged from light were targeted towards them as crystal formations appeared around the queen, crawling towards her and grabbing her ankles. Rosso watched the daggers in terror as they continued spiralling towards her then jumped as Vincent's large, tattered, red cloak covered them and her feet left the ground momentarily. The next thing she knew they were outside and Vincent had covered her with his cloak to keep her warm. He stood over her crouching form, thrusting the knife deep into his hand, twisting and spilling more blood onto the ground.

"_Anyng, _Duke!"

Rosso watched as light encompassed the spot in front of him and in a flash, a beautiful blue Chocobo appeared, squawking in alarm. She gasped as Vincent grabbed her with his bloody hand by the wrist and picked her up, placing her on him and grabbed her shoulders.

"Don't look back," he said as the doors of the castle flew open.

"They'll kill you!"

Vincent smiled painfully.

"There is no greater pain than getting your heart broken," he said and slapped Duke's side "I'll be fine."

"No, wait!" Rosso screamed as Duke took off through the village and she could only watch as Vincent stood in front of the robed men, his knife raised and he stabbed his other hand.

"_Pyyra, surdz, pynqs!_"

Rosso watched as Vincent held his arms out and flames encompassed his body, taking the form of a phoenix and screams rang out in the night. Soon, everything was out of sight and she clung onto Duke's blue feathers, crying into his neck. She looked at the blood dotting around her wrist and took a slow lick, savouring the tangy taste and magical potency within it.

* * *

Rosso brushed her cheek against the old cloak she wore, she rarely took it off and smiled down at the image of his descendent, weak, frail and sick.

"You are going to be very interesting," she purred with a seductive hum.

* * *

At that moment, the second to last bud's petals began emerging slowly on the enchanted shrub.


	10. Chapter 11

Demetrius frowned as he stroked Anne's hair out of her face, looking at the beads of sweat that collected on his fingertips as he did so.

"How did this happen?" he asked "Did he curse you or something?"

"No," Anne shook her head "It happens when I draw blood for spells without my knife."

She lifted her knife in her hands slightly and Demetrius nodded, wiping his fingers on the pillow.

"How did you escape?" she asked.

"Oh, window," Demetrius nodded as he placed a hand on her forehead "Just a sec. _Larada…Akosile…_"

Anne let out a short gasp when a soothing light engulfed her vision and the fever was gone. She winced slightly when something soothing and tingling went up and down under her eye but she didn't focus too much on it. She sat up, looking at the man with wide eyes, knife clutched to her chest.

"You know magic," she said.

"Yeah but I don't know how to inflict that healing spell on myself," Demetrius winced and held his bleeding shoulder.

"Oh, lie down!" Anne said as she jumped out of bed and scurried over to her vanity.

Demetrius lay down on the bed as she looked through her drawers, pulling out the bottle of healing oil that she carried.

"Damn, I need to remember to make some more soon," she muttered as she wandered back over "Here, there should be enough in here, I'll just…"

Demetrius lay back as she opened his shirt so she could see the wound directly. He hissed softly as the amber liquid dripped onto his cut and the skin began healing over. Anne carefully traced the area where the cut used to be to make sure it had worked and froze when Demetrius gently took her wrist and smiled up at her.

"You're like my angel," he said as he pressed a small kiss to her fingertips "Such a beautiful maiden who comes to my aid and heals me. How wonderful."

Anne's demeanour turned cold in a split second as she yanked her wrist out of his grip.

"Flattery gets you nowhere," she said and got up from the bed, corking her bottle.

"So cold," Demetrius sighed as he sat up, smirking at her "I expected you to be a blushing bride rather than an ice princess."

"Why have you come here?" Anne asked tiredly as she placed the bottle back on her vanity.

Demetrius flicked some hair out of his eyes, making sure to square his shoulders to bare his chest.

"What are you doing here?" he asked smoothly.

"I asked first," Anne hissed venomously.

* * *

Rosso examined Anne's sickened look at Demetrius and began wondering why his charm wasn't working on her. Did she have a lover in her hometown? Was Demetrius simply not her type? Or maybe perhaps she wasn't interested in men? Studying the Wiccan's face further, Rosso came to the quick conclusion that she most certainly wasn't interested, given her looks of disgust. Her heart leapt briefly as she smirked and contacted Demetrius.

_'Make sure she knows who he is.'_

* * *

"Yeah but ladies first, answer my question," Demetrius shrugged whilst giving Anne another dashing smile.

"I swear by my ancestors, I will murder you," Anne said as she lifted her dagger.

"Aw, come on! I just…"

Demetrius paused for a moment, looking out of the window where it was raining outside and blinked.

"How much do you know about the king of this castle?" he asked.

"Answer my question first or I swear by Odin…!" Anne raised her voice as she raised her knife higher.

"Hey, now, I just…"

"Answer my question!" Anne demanded as she advanced forward.

"Hey, hey, whoa, sorry, sorry, sorry!" Demetrius waved his hands out for her to stop "I'm here to investigate the history of this place!"

Anne hesitated at the edge of the bed and lowered her knife slowly.

"Why?"

"Well, this used to be such a wonderful kingdom of magic and was wisely ruled over by King Barnaby and Queen Lucrecia," Demetrius panted as he eyed the dagger warily.

"Queen Lucrecia?" Anne raised her eyebrows "Queen…Lucrecia Crescent?"

Demetrius nodded and Anne stepped back warily, shaking her head.

"No, this can't be Crescent Castle…" she murmured then looked around the room.

"Sephiroth is the son of Lucrecia who helped him slay magic wielders, including women and children to gain power."

Anne suddenly felt her stomach churn and bile build up in her throat as she backed away until she fell onto the stool by the vanity.

"No, that can't be…" she whispered.

"Why do you think his magic core contains so much dark magic?"

Anne's breath hitched and she covered her mouth as the threat of vomiting grew.

"But…but that would mean…"

"That is the Valentine Ritual Dagger," Demetrius observed as he stood and walked over "Your ancestor, Vincent Valentine…"

"No…no…"

"…was lured here by the beautiful yet malicious Queen Lucrecia Crescent…"

"Lies…"

"…and confined in a cursed coffin, left to rot!"

"Liar!" Anne said as she stood up, glaring up at him.

"I can show you, I can prove it," Demetrius smirked "Take you down to the basement where he was dragged down and stuffed into his own coffin."

"But this place…"

Anne whined as she placed her hands over her head, tears brimming her eyes.

"…was where all those people were murdered. By King Sephiroth Crescent!"

"That was years ago!"

"The curse that grips him and the other residents halts their aging," Demetrius shrugged "Or so it seems anyhow."

He hooked a finger under Anne's chin and smirked.

"You can start feeling them now that you're aware, can't you?" he whispered "Tell me, are there any places where you're forbidden to go?"

"Ah, uh, West Wing…" Anne stuttered and jumped when Demetrius grabbed her hand.

"Come on."

"No, wait, I can't leave!" Anne protested as she dug her heels into the floor.

"Are you really going to obey him after you know what he's done?" Demetrius asked coldly, taking her aback "He killed most of your ancestors."

Anne opened her mouth then closed it and bowed her head.

"I promised…so he wouldn't kill…"

Demetrius smirked as he opened the door and yanked her through.

"Come with me, Valentine child," he said "Let's explore this castle that once housed prisoners for the Crescent Sacrificial Altar."

Anne grabbed his wrists as he cupped her cheeks.

"_Boji!_"

* * *

Sephiroth straightened his spine after doing some intense glowering at the empty coffin, his servants clustered behind him. Magic surged around the area where Anne's room was but it wasn't her magical signature he detected. He turned and sniffed the air, narrowing his eyes. He tried to see what Anne was feeling only to find that the connection was blocked and he growled.

"Who is keeping an eye on her?" he asked slowly and everyone exchanged a look "Who is keeping an eye on her?!"

"I made sure to inform Kunsel and Luxiere about standing guard at her room…" Angeal said as he trailed off.

"Tonomu!"

Sephiroth closed his eyes and saw what Kunsel and Luxiere could see. But they hadn't reach her room yet and he snarled.

"You idiots! Don't leave her unattended!" he barked as he stormed through the crowd.

"She's not a puppy that needs to be looked after!" Aerith protested as they began following him again "Your Majesty!"

* * *

Anne didn't know when she had clutched onto Demetrius but when the shadows surrounding them faded, the first thing she saw was the large blue altar, a model of a crescent moon hovering over it. She backed away as Demetrius let her go and placed a hand on the smooth surface.

"Here is where they were killed, slaughtered, murdered…" he growled angrily then turned to her "Men, women and children! And for what?! For power!"

Anne stumbled and struggled as he grabbed her by the wrist and slammed her down onto the altar, towering over her.

"They would be chained, terrified, humiliated!" he raised his voice as Anne tried to overpower him but failed.

"Oi, let go!" Anne cried and her eyes widened when Demetrius held up the knife he had taken from her.

"The very last things they would hear or see would be the chanting surrounding them…" he whispered as he pressed the knife to her cheek "The cruel smirk on his face… The glint of the dagger in the candlelight."

Anne kept her breathing steady as he pressed the knife harder and felt her blood spilling.

"_Wynt!_"

Demetrius was flown across the decrepit room, slamming into a dusty old bookcase which fell on top of him. Anne sat up, breathing in and out to calm herself as she watched him pull himself out from under the wreckage and glare at her.

"You bitch," he growled.

Anne opened her mouth to retort but was interrupted as the doors flew open and a roar echoed through the room, making everything shake in its wake. She turned her head to look at Sephiroth as he saw her then turned his head to see Demetrius who stood with the bloody knife in his hand. Sephiroth then looked back at her and snarled, slowly pacing towards her. Anne trembled as he towered over her and grabbed her shoulders, leaning a little to take in her features then sniffed around her cut.

"Iyasu," he snarled and the cut healed itself.

He then went to her other cheek and sniffed her scar, snarling louder and turning towards Demetrius.

"You…" he growled as Demetrius braced himself for an attack "Kyanseru."

Anne felt a wash of magic go across where her scar was and winced as she was suddenly assaulted with fury, stemming from the king in front of her. She let out a soft whine as Sephiroth held her a little tighter when Demetrius laughed.

"Look at you!" he taunted, swinging the Valentine Ritual Dagger around "You look like you care but all you think about is how beautiful she looks! Your petty anger is pathetic! Just because I gave her a little mark! It gets you really riled up, doesn't it?"

Sephiroth roared as he lunged for Demetrius and grabbed him roughly, lifting him up, his black nails digging deep into his sides. Demetrius choked in surprise as the king suddenly drew his hand back.

"Surasshu!"

There was a moment of quiet when he brought his claw down Demetrius and the hand that held Anne's knife went flying off his body and landed before the Wiccan. Anne stared at it in horror, her heartbeat audible, her breathing momentarily ceased and then suddenly everything rushed in at once. Demetrius's scream, the strong scent of blood, the satisfaction Sephiroth felt, Anne found herself slipping off the altar and stare at the hand that clutched her knife, whimpering and shaking. More screams were heard as Anne watched from her place as Sephiroth began ripping and mauling Demetrius further, thankful that the altar shielded most of the sight. Blood was splattered on the walls, organs flew across the room and limbs fell onto the floor. The final act that would have killed Demetrius if he hadn't died already was when Anne saw Sephiroth's large hand hold his heart and squeeze it to death. Then silence.

Anne gagged but held back the bile. However it wasn't enough and she retched, hunching over as green vomit splattered before her, accompanied with her dry heaving. Tears fell from her eyes as she began sobbing, holding her mouth as part of a leg rolled into view. She heard the heavy footsteps of the king and dared to look up at his bloody maw, his blood-stained chest and his blood soaked nails. He held a hand out for her.

"You disobeyed me," he said sombrely and terror clutched the young Wiccan's heart.

Anne shot off through the open doors, ignoring the king's demand for her to wait. She ran faster when she heard his lumbering footsteps behind her, tears still falling. She ran until she found herself in the lobby.

"Anne!"

Anne looked up to see Genesis by a doorway but lost her footing and fell down the main staircase. The red fox hybrid's eyes widened as he ran down to check if she was alright when she reached the bottom but was halted by the furious roar of his king. He saw the bloodied silver fox as he stood tall at the top of the staircase, glaring at the Wiccan at the foot of the staircase. They both braced when she moved and Genesis didn't think.

"Baundo!"

Golden cords of light shot out and snatched Sephiroth before he could lunge for Anne and Genesis battled against him, trying to restrain him in place.

"Anne, run!" he barked and Anne lifted her head to take in the scene before running across the lobby to the main doors.

There were loud snaps behind her and Genesis's pained grunt as she threw open the main doors and ran across the courtyard in the pouring rain. She slipped on a puddle and fell over before the gates, groaning in agony as she tried to get up.

"Hurry."

Anne lifted her head to see a hand with red nails outstretched towards her and saw the Stregherian in front of her, just outside the gates.

"Hurry, before he kills you," she whispered.

Anne reached out with a shaking hand…


	11. Chapter 12

_"Don't go."_

Anne hesitated as a voice rang out in her head.

_"Please, please don't go."_

It pleaded with her as she lay there in the rain, faced with the Stregherian who urged more.

"Come on! He'll kill you!"

_"Stay here. Please, stay…"_

Anne felt torn. The voice sounded lost, lonely, desperate. And yet, she was scared to be killed, be torn apart like Demetrius. Anne's hand dropped as she stared at the cold stone she lay upon.

"Oh, for Shiva's sake!" the Stregherian groaned as she lashed out to grab Anne.

Three snarls had her retreating and Anne felt three furry heads nudge her questioningly before the snarls erupted again, directed at the woman in red. She stumbled back a couple of paces before clenching her fist.

"I will come back," she vowed before the dogs leapt over the gate and chased her down the village.

Anne watched with dull eyes as she fled into the woods, the dogs close at her heels. She began sobbing and covered her face, whining and crying.

"Tifa…" she whimpered "Tifa…Tifa!"

Where was she? Where was her big sister? Her sister who would always be there for her, always there when everything was going wrong? Where was she? Anne hiccupped and squeezed her eyes shut. She remembered all the times she goofed off with her spells and potions and Tifa would be there, scolding her, lecturing her, sometimes screaming at her when her skin turned green. But Anne always knew it was because she cared for her. She was worried for her. Otherwise she wouldn't have been there when she was being bullied. She wouldn't have been there to hold her hand at their mother's funeral and then their father's funeral. But where was she now?!

"Tifa!" Anne called out to the dark clouds above her "Tifa!"

* * *

"Anne?"

Tifa woke up in her bed with a cold flannel on her forehead and groaned softly when she felt the sun on her face. She opened her eyes slowly and gazed out of the window with a confused frown.

"Ah, Miss Lockhart," Dr Hollander drew her attention from the outside view "Good, it's nice to see you awake."

"Where am I?" the young woman asked in a daze "I…"

"Careful now, when Mr Strife brought you home you were sustaining very severe injuries," the doctor eased her up to a sitting position "You must have run into a powerful monster. Thank goodness you're not hurt."

Tifa's eyes suddenly widened.

"Anne!" she cried out and winced as her body throbbed with pain.

"Miss Lockhart, you shouldn't move so much…"

"That thing has my little sister," she sobbed "I have to save her!"

"Calm down, Mr Strife has gone back to look for her."

Tifa looked up at the doctor as he stood, packing his medical equipment.

"He has?"

"Yes, I told him that you probably wouldn't wake up for a while and he mentioned something about your sister running off to find you?"

"He can't go," Tifa shook her head "It's huge, it's hideous, he'll get killed!"

"Now, I know Mr Strife isn't as good as the Omega brothers," Dr Hollander smiled as he closed his bag "But he is exceptional. Have faith in him, after all, why else would you pick him for a fiancé?"

"That creature knows magic!" Tifa rasped as her vision began to blur "Nngh…it was a…it was a…"

She suddenly snapped her head up to the doctor who observed her with a confused frown.

"A Shinto! She called him a Shinto!"

Dr Hollander looked down at her with raised eyebrows.

"A Shinto?" he echoed "You're telling me that your injuries are from a warlock with powers derived from a fox god from an Eastern culture?"

"Yes?" Tifa murmured as she remembered the monster looked somewhat like a fox.

Dr Hollander lifted his head back and laughed.

"A Shinto!" he barked out "Miss Lockhart, I'm afraid you must be mistaken. Shintos do not exist in this country!"

"But…" Tifa frowned.

"Now, Mr Strife will bring your sister back," the doctor insisted and fluffed her pillows "Just relax, I'll have someone from the village bring you food and drink and help around the place until they come back."

"But, Doc-"

"Just rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

Tifa slumped when the door closed and she lay back, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I…"

There was a tap on her window and she opened her eyes to stare at the large green tendril that hovered outside. She watched as a second tendril came up with Anne's little basket, containing bread, cheese and water. She continued to stare in disbelief as the first tendril tapped again, more impatiently before working its way under the window and opening it. The basket was dropped into her lap and the Malboro outside crooned as it tapped her cheek softly. With a disgruntled sigh, Tifa patted the tentacle so it would go away and stared at the basket of food and water before slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Anne's ankle was burning. She tried to stand up but the last fall twisted her ankle and now it was swelling up like a ball of mistletoe. She felt her energy slowly leaving her as she tried to crawl away to find shelter only to stop when she felt the rain stop falling on her and a shadow looming over her.

"Tifa?" she whispered.

A low grumble was her answer as a furry hand picked her up and held her against a strong chest. She watched the stone floor of the courtyard go by as she was carried back to the castle by Sephiroth. She watched the carpeted floors go by, droplets falling from her hair and dress until she was sat down in front of a fire in a big armchair, watching as the cursed king cradled her swollen ankle to examine it, whispering words of magic. Anne clenched the arms of the chair as magic ran up and down her leg, around her ankle but nothing eased the pain. His green eyes looked up at her after a period of time.

"You're rejecting my spells."

Anne blinked in surprise at his statement.

"I'm not doing it on purpose," she said with a cracked voice.

Sephiroth looked back down at her ankle and growled.

"Then what is it? Is this normal?"

"I wouldn't know, no-one's ever used spells on me in a position like this."

Sephiroth growled softly as he placed her ankle down. Anne laced her hands together awkwardly then spotted a rash on the king's shoulder.

"You're hurt," she murmured and he looked up at her sharply "Your shoulder…"

Sephiroth stood and looked down at his shoulder, growling.

"Must be a curse that whelp inflicted on me," he snarled.

"Genesis?"

"No, that man who hurt you."

Anne shifted as she raised her hand.

"May I see?"

Sephiroth drew away with a warning growl and Anne winced.

"I might be able to see if I can make a tonic for it."

Sephiroth stared down at her before falling onto all fours and bared his shoulder blade to her. He flinched when her tiny hands reached out and felt the rash, his breath tickling her side as she carefully stroked the raw skin.

"I have a theory, I'll use a diagnostic spell to confirm."

"Don't!" Sephiroth snapped as Anne lifted her hand to bite into it "I'll get your knife, just don't do anything stupid."

He stormed out, leaving the young Wiccan alone to stare into the fire thoughtfully.

* * *

Cloud's eyes widened as a red blur leapt over him in the forest.

"Watch out!"

Cloud barely heard the words through her foreign accent but when he looked forward, he saw the hulking figures of three dogs running towards him. His Chocobo let out an alarmed squawk as they turned and followed the woman through the forest.

"Come this way!"

Cloud glanced over his shoulders and dug his heel into his Chocobo who sprinted faster to avoid the menacing jaws of the Gray Wolf. They continued to follow the woman as the rain pelted down on them until they reached a clearing.

"Barriera!"

There were yelps as Cloud slowed down and turned to see the dogs had crashed into what looked like a colourful magic barrier. The woman dropped down in front of him after the spell, dual red blades at the ready as she glared down at the dogs that barked viciously at her. She sheathed them after a while and turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"There's a maiden in the castle not far from here," the woman explained as she gestured to the turret that was visible "A cruel king has imprisoned her there and I'm trying to save her."

"Maiden?" Cloud perked "Is her name Anne Lockhart by any chance? Long black hair and red eyes?"

The woman hesitated for a moment as she walked up to him with narrowed eyes.

"Yes…"

"I'm looking for her," Cloud said as he slipped off his Chocobo "I need to get her back home."

The woman looked him up and down before circling him, eyeing him like a piece of meat. He swallowed nervously before glancing at the snarling dogs.

"Um, are you a witch?"

"Beg pardon?"

The woman caught where his eyes were looking and smirked.

"Oh, no, the mushrooms around here repel those dogs," she said as she gestured to the multi-coloured mushrooms circling around them.

"Oh, I see," Cloud sighed.

"Perhaps we can work together," the woman purred as she slung an arm around his shoulders "My name is Rosso."

"Um, Cloud Strife," Cloud offered his hand to shake.

"Pleasure to meet you, Cloud Strife," Rosso smirked ominously "I suggest you rest first before we begin our plan to rescue our young maiden."

"Why are you rescuing her?"

Rosso hummed thoughtfully as she gazed up at the turret.

"I owe a debt to her family," she said with a shrug.

* * *

"There, now it's supported but make sure to keep off your feet."

"Thank you, Aerith."

Sephiroth watched the young women talk in front of the fire place, Anne's knife in his hands. She was still a little damp but changed into a dry dress, this one was lilac this time and looked more comfortable to relax in. He stepped in, letting out a growl to have them acknowledge his presence.

"Out."

"Your Majesty…" Aerith stood.

"Out!"

Aerith sighed as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Sephiroth looked down at Anne as he walked in front of her, crouching down to offer the bloody knife. His eyes wandered down to the bandaged ankle and he snorted in annoyance at Aerith's meddling. Anne looked down at her dagger before taking it and using the skirt of the new dress to wipe it clean. She then sliced her palm and beckoned for Sephiroth to bare his shoulder to her again. He twitched when she placed her bloody hand on his rash, tensing when her free hand came up to rest on his head, the knife on her lap. He relaxed as her fingers idly stroked behind his ears.

"_Dyagansys_…"

Sephiroth jerked when magic flowed through him but was soothed by her fingers gently massaging his head. He relaxed, letting the warm, comforting magic flow through his body and Anne run her hand up and down the rash. It was soothing, it was calming, Sephiroth didn't want this to end. Her warm, raw and inexperienced magic was nothing like he'd felt before in a person. Other than his mother that is but even her magic and spells had a cold edge to them. He growled when the magic ceased but was brought out of his reverie when Anne cleared her throat.

"It's an uncompleted curse, it's stunting your magic," the young Wiccan said "I know a tonic to make for it."

"Do you need your book?"

Anne nodded and Sephiroth raised his head.

"Zack!"

The Newfoundland ran in eagerly, barking in delight when he saw Anne.

"Oh, good, I was worried that you were gone…"

"Zack!" Sephiroth snarled and the dog whined "Get her book."

"Book? That one with the scary skull on it?"

Zack's ears flattened.

"What if it bites me?"

"Oh, if only it could do that," Anne giggled as she took her knife off her lap and placed it on the arm of the chair.

"Go!"

Zack whined and turned, running off towards Anne's room. Sephiroth huffed and laid his head on Anne's lap firmly.

"Do that again."

"Excuse me?"

"Your magic, do it again."

Anne hesitated before placing her hand on his head.

"This spell is a calming spell which I use to tame monsters," she murmured into his ear "Is that alright?"

Sephiroth snorted and heard the dagger slice through her skin.

"_Royk_…"

Sephiroth melted with a soft, content groan as her magic flowed through him again and closed his eyes blissfully, slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Anne chewed her lip when Sephiroth fell asleep on her, essentially becoming a deadweight.

"Well, when I said calming, I didn't mean it was a cue to fall asleep on top of me," she huffed.

"Here it is…"

Zack had the Book of Shadows out in front him as he walked in and saw the scene.

"That is adorable," he squealed softly as he handed her the book.

"I'm starting to lose the circulation in my legs," Anne deadpanned.

Zack just cooed in adoration as he crouched by Sephiroth and reached out to pet him but a loud growl had him withdrawing back to the door. Anne glared down at him briefly before opening the book and petting his ears as she looked through the book before finding the page she wanted.

"Um, Zack do you know about plants well enough to determine the difference between sage and foxgloves?"

"Fox gloves? Like what Gen or Seph here wear?"

Anne stared at him blankly in disbelief.

"Maybe Angeal could help gather the ingredients."

"Good idea! Angeal loves gardening! I'll get him!"

Anne watched as he scampered out eagerly and Anne looked down at Sephiroth with a soft frown. He looked peaceful and content to be lying his head on her lap. If only he was a normal dog, he would have been a wonderful familiar. Anne lifted her head when Angeal wandered in with Zack bouncing up and down behind him.

"That looks nasty," he murmured when he saw Sephiroth's rash "Genesis is just resting in his room, you wouldn't know any tonics for cursed bites?"

"Cursed bites?" Anne echoed with wide eyes "I would have to run a diagnostic spell…"

"Never mind, it's a temporary curse but Genesis loves complaining," Angeal sighed as he read the page Anne showed him "These are the ingredients for the tonic?"

"Yes. Zack I'll need the equipment you brought me the other day."

"Sure thing!"

Zack ran out as Angeal wandered out whilst reading the Book of Shadows for the ingredients. Anne shifted uncomfortably as Sephiroth nuzzled his nose against her stomach before turning his head to lie it on its side. She sat back, drumming her fingers impatiently on the arms of the armchair and hummed to herself. She closed her eyes and listened to the fire crackling in the fireplace, smiling to herself as she imagined herself at home, probably hiding a potion from Tifa and feeding Max.

Oh, Max. Anne sighed softly as she opened her eyes and gazed out at the dark evening, the rain still pouring down. She had many monster pets but Max was so adorable and huge and dangerous, taming him had gotten her adrenaline running. She smiled wistfully when she recalled Tifa's expression when she realised she had been hiding a massive Malboro in her room. Anne remembered the pride that had run through her when she achieved a dimension expansion spell without nearly losing her arm. Boy that had been a close call.

Anne tensed when Sephiroth shifted in her lap and she sighed.

"You still asleep, huh?" she whispered and looked into the fire "Really…"

It took a while until Angeal and Zack arrived with the ingredients and equipment. Anne could only slice her palm to drip blood into the crucible. Eventually the mixture was done with heating up and Anne was stirring the thick green liquid. Zack had run off to fool around with Aerith whilst Angeal had been summoned by Genesis. She poked Sephiroth's head thoughtfully and he snorted softly, still in a deep sleep. She took a deep breath, lifted a spoonful of the tonic and tipped it out onto the rash.

"OW!"

Anne gasped as the action woke Sephiroth up and with a loud roar he stood and threw her off the armchair, the armchair sailing across the room. Anne hissed as the crucible was tipped over and the tonic was spilt over the carpet. Sephiroth paced around the room angrily a couple of times as Anne set the crucible up before the tonic was completely wasted and he glared down at her.

"What do you…think…?"

He trailed off when he saw Anne on the floor, struggling to get back to her feet after being knocked down. He looked around before hissing and looking down at his shoulder that was steaming.

"Don't move," he ordered as he picked her up and glanced at the destroyed armchair.

He looked around, holding her in his arms as she shook softly. He sighed and bowed his head.

"Get it over with," he murmured.

"No, you should rest in a comfortable area, it can sting to the point you may pass out depending on the power of the curse."

Sephiroth snarled as he glanced at the door then carried her out. Anne glanced down at the floor until she looked up when she saw them going into the West Wing.

"Just this one time," he warned before setting her down in his nest of blankets and pillows.

He laid her down before placing his shoulder firmly on her chest. Anne saw one of his hands grabbing a pillow tightly to the point that feathers began spilling out. She reached out and rested her own tiny hand on the back of it.

"Deep breaths, OK?" she whispered and he clenched his teeth when she dipped the spoon into the mixture and carefully tipped it onto his rash.

Sephiroth arched his back with a sharp howl of pain and Anne held tightly onto his hand as the pillow he clutched onto became just a pillow cover.

"It's alright, it's alright, that's all of the rash covered," she whispered as she placed the crucible down just outside of the pillows and blankets.

Sephiroth's hand abandoned the pillow case and feather pile to cradle Anne to him.

"Soothing spell, now…" he demanded.

"Your Majesty…" Anne murmured and sighed "I'll cast the spell after you use a spell so I can see if the tonic worked."

"Grr…shuri."

Anne saw the pillow getting repaired beside her and nodded.

"Now, not wanting to be too fussy, but I'd appreciate it if you don't fall asleep on me…"

She yelped when Sephiroth turned so he was on his back and she was on his chest. She took her knife and sliced her palm.

"_Royk_…"

Sephiroth sighed when the soothing spell took hold of him and he kept a firm, protective hand over her body. Anne glared down at him as he went straight to sleep.

"Really, you couldn't heal me and let me go?"

She sighed when she realised she wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon so lay her head on his chest. Her eyes slowly fluttered to a close and she fell asleep on top of him.


	12. Chapter 13

Sephiroth woke up feeling fulfilled. Nostalgia filled him as he shifted onto his side, clutching this warm object to his chest. He felt like a little child all over again, when he was six or seven years of age and he would run through the dark corridors to jump into bed with his parents. He never realised how much he missed his mother now. The way she would smile at him, treasure him like a dragon would treasure its gold. He missed how she would hug him, cradle his head to her chest and the way she would rub her hand up and down his back. She taught him the magic he wielded and helped him gather sacrifices to help his magic core grow.

A soft moan stirred him into the land of the awake and he looked down at the Wiccan in his hands. He sat up sharply, staring down at her with wide eyes as her head flopped from one side to the other. He glanced around, slowly recalling the last memories before he had drifted off to sleep. He looked back down at Anne and frowned at her dishevelled state.

"Kurin."

Anne stirred as his magic went through her, untangling her hair, clearing up the sleep in her eyes, making the dirt on her disappear and cleaning her scent to make her smell as fresh as a daisy. She blinked blearily as she looked around then glanced up at him. She stared at him for a moment before shrieking in alarm, leaning back a little as she got used to the sight of his fierce stare. She then cringed in pain and looked down at her swollen ankle and Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

"Iyasu," he murmured and Anne relaxed slightly "…Henko, doresu, papuru."

Anne jumped in his grip as her dress flashed white, morphing around her body to change shape and came out purple. Sephiroth nodded in approval and was given an annoyed glare.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked.

"You're welcome," Sephiroth sarcastically replied.

Anne looked away and Sephiroth brought her up to his nose, sniffing softly.

"Tell me, how much do you want to advance in magic?" he asked and Anne looked at him incredulously.

"I want to spend my life studying it," she said as if it was obvious "I just want knowledge and be completely involved in the world of magic."

"Not with a feeble magic core like this," Sephiroth said as he patted her tummy "If I may?"

Anne leaned away again, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Ah…may you what?" she squeaked.

"Expose your magic core, just don't be aggressive and it will be fine," he said soothingly.

"Why?"

Sephiroth snorted softly.

"So I can examine your core and see what I can do to help."

Anne swallowed uneasily and closed her eyes tight. Sephiroth nosed her forehead before placing a black claw just under her neck.

"Sarasu."

* * *

"They've been up there all night," Aerith frowned as she lay against Zack's chest "I hope she's alright."

"Relax, I don't think Seph would hurt her," Zack patted her head, tickling her coyote ears "Plus she can fight for herself, remember when we saw her use Yuffie's rune stone?"

A terrifying scream of pain echoed throughout the castle which dashed the hopes of the young couple. They shot one another a look before leaping out of bed, pulling some clothes on then morphing into their dog forms. They shot up to the doors of the West Wing, morphing into their human forms to press their human ears against the solid wood.

"This…this…" Anne whimpered from inside.

"Ssh, you're doing well," Sephiroth soothed "Just warning you now, it's very sensitive but I'm going to touch it."

Aerith and Zack stared at one another in alarm.

"What's he doing?" Aerith whispered.

"I hope it's not what I'm thinking," Zack whispered back.

There was a yelp from Anne.

"That feels weird," she whined.

"Hm, better than I thought," Sephiroth said "I'm going to expose mine now so stop moving around so much."

"I'm not sure if I want to know, we should leave," Zack took Aerith's hand.

"But what if…" Aerith nibbled her lip.

"What's going on here?"

The couple glanced at Genesis and Aerith beckoned him over. Genesis pressed his ear to the doors.

"I didn't realise yours would be so big," Anne squeaked and his blue eyes widened in alarm.

"Takes time and experience," Sephiroth replied "Here, touch it."

"What?"

"Touch it so you can feel and understand it…"

"Should we really be out here?" Genesis whispered.

They heard a deep grunt afterwards.

"Yes, gently, like that…"

"We really shouldn't be here," Zack confirmed.

"But…" Aerith protested.

"I heard a scream," Angeal said as he arrived on the scene "Why are you eavesdropping?"

Soon the four of them had their ears pressed to the doors.

"It's so warm…" Anne whispered in awe.

"To start off, I will put some into you to help you develop."

"We have to stop them!" Aerith hissed as Angeal stared ahead, trying to think of a logical explanation for the words.

"Hang on, let's not be rash," Zack whispered.

"It has to be something else, it can't be…" Angeal whispered.

"Yes, it has to…"

"It might hurt at first but afterwards it will feel more pleasant," Sephiroth interrupted them.

"I don't know about this," Anne squeaked.

"Just lie down, it will be quick because this is your first time."

"It seems…"

"I know, it's very intimate, which is normal if you want to advance and mature."

"We need to stop them!" Aerith hissed more urgently.

"What do you suggest?" Genesis raised an eyebrow.

"Supposing he rips our heads off?" Zack hissed.

Anne suddenly let out a low moan accompanied with Sephiroth's loud sigh. Aerith turned to Zack.

"I love you so much," she whispered before shoving him forward.

"Hey, Aerith!"

Zack stumbled into the room with wide eyes, falling flat on his face as the doors let out a loud bang when they swung open. Aerith, Angeal and Genesis peeked in to see Anne lying down on Sephiroth's chest, a sky blue light on her chest shining brightly as purple tendrils from Sephiroth's dark purple light on his chest feed magic to it. Anne's eyes were squeezed shut as she trembled from the magic that was being fed into her magic core, her hands being held tightly by Sephiroth's who was watching the magic transfer. Anne let out a breath when the tendrils disappeared and Sephiroth glared at the intruders.

"OUT!"

Angeal lunged forward, grabbed Zack's ankle and pulled him out before the doors slammed shut.

* * *

Anne's arms collapsed as Sephiroth let her go.

"Kakusu."

She gasped as her core was hidden and Sephiroth did the same with his magic core. She fell onto her side, sweat trickling down her face as she caught her breath.

"Kurin."

She felt magic wash over her and clean her sweat away. A hand picked her up and she was on a furry surface, her fingers clinging onto the fur beneath her. She closed her eyes and felt the object underneath her move.

"It will take a while for the magic to settle, you'll need a magic stabilizer."

The young Wiccan opened her eyes blearily as the Shinto carried her down the corridors, towards the kitchen. She was placed down on a chair and lay her head down on the table as Sephiroth went from one place to the other, cooking.

* * *

"Why does Anne look like she didn't get a wink of sleep last night?" Yuffie asked as she wandered into Aerith's room where Zack was having his nose looked at by Angeal.

"We'd rather not talk about it," Genesis coughed as he meandered around the mannequins that had the dresses Aerith had been making all night "Oh, Aerith, dear, I certainly love this scarlet one."

"Matches her eyes, don't you think?" Aerith smiled as she stitched the orange one in front of her.

"Oh, this one is sparkly!" Yuffie cheered as she ran to the silver dress in the corner.

"Careful with that, it took me ages to embroider that one!" Aerith called as she finished her work and stood to examine the dress.

"Hey, just a head's up," Luxiere said as he stuck his head into the room "We've spotted a stranger in the area, keep an eye out for a swordsman with blonde spiky hair."

"Oh!" Zack looked interested as he perked up.

"No," Aerith and Angeal said simultaneously.

Zack whined and deflated as Angeal pulled away after determining that Zack's nose wasn't broken.

"Have you told His Majesty?" Genesis asked as he ran a hand across a sky blue dress.

"Kunsel has informed him but we haven't heard from him," Luxiere seemed concerned "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, better than alright," Genesis snorted and glanced at Aerith's flushed face.

Luxiere tilted his head curiously as Aerith accidentally pricked herself and rushed over to Angeal to grab a small bandage.

* * *

Sephiroth placed a bowl of pink substance in front of Anne and nudged her side.

"Wake up and drink," he said and she turned away from him.

"Five more minutes, Tifa," she murmured.

Sephiroth tilted his head and nudged her again, pulling away to avoid getting attacked by her slap.

"Leave me alone, Teeeeeef…" she whined and Sephiroth snorted "I swear, I didn't hide Max back in my room, do you know how much of a headache the dimensional spell thingy is for me?"

Sephiroth looked worried, had he given her too much of his magic? She really needed this magic stabilizer. He nudged her again and yelped when she managed to clip him around the ear.

"Cloud! Don't tell Tifa but Bandit came back and I'm hiding him under my bed!"

Sephiroth nursed his ear before growling. He grabbed her head, lifted her up and dropped her face into the bowl. She spluttered and sat up, sticking her tongue out in disgust as pink liquid dripped off her face and onto her dress.

"Drink, stop being such a delirious wench, it is highly unappealing."

Anne looked up at him and pointed to him.

"You have nine tails, you're a weird fox," she said.

Sephiroth fumed and pushed her head back down into the bowl. She spluttered some more, sitting up and spitting in distaste.

"Urgh, tastes like my dad's rum," she scowled.

"Do you need another dunk or are you going to drink it this time?"

"I'll drink your stupid rum but don't expect me to turn into a pirate overnight," Anne scowled as she picked the bowl up and sloppily drink it.

She scowled after the last gulp and tried to wipe the taste off her tongue as Sephiroth sat in front of her.

"Kurin."

Anne squealed and giggled as his magic cleaned up the pink liquid spilt over her dress and face.

"Feels like Poppy's feathers," she said with a giddy look.

Sephiroth frowned as he pressed a finger on her forehead.

"Shindan," he said and Anne giggled louder as he examined her body "I see, your core isn't built for that amount of magic, I put too much in. It's leaking and currently scrambling your brain, this might last for a few days."

"You must have been adorable as a puppy," Anne grinned as she took hold of his finger and pressed a kiss to it.

Sephiroth felt some leaked magic pass off her lips and into him, zapping him with energy which made him pull away. Anne cackled hysterically as his fur went up with the static electricity and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well at least there's enough in to make your core grow but if this is how you're going to be, I'll have Zack babysit you."

He stood and began to walk off, only to be stopped when tiny arms grabbed onto his arm.

"Don't leave me," she whimpered and Sephiroth felt tears, full of magic, leak onto his fur and making it turn purple.

He grabbed her by her hips, holding her away from him as she sniffed, wiping some tears away and staining her fingers blue. She held her arms out for him.

"Daddy," she whimpered and cried more "I want my daddy! Where is he?!"

"Kurin," Sephiroth sighed and the tears were wiped clean "Nadameru."

Anne blinked in confusion and her eyes drooped as she yawned deeply. She flopped forward and Sephiroth cradled her to his shoulder, listening to her sigh. She fell asleep and he carried her down the corridors, his eyes drifting towards the windows. Kunsel had informed him of the strange blonde swordsman. Another subordinate from Rosso? Or wanderer? Nevertheless, Sephiroth needed to keep his guard up. He tightened his grip on Anne's body. He was so close to having the curse broken. He couldn't let her get snatched away.


	13. Chapter 14

"Wheee!"

Sephiroth watched Anne hang upside down from his grip, giggling like a little girl as she waved her arms around happily. He grunted and placed her down in front of Zack and Genesis.

"Keep an eye on her," he said as Anne jumped to her feet and stood on the tips of her toes to try and hug him "Stop that, stay here."

He poked her head hard enough to send her back to a sitting position. Anne began tearing up and the three around her tensed.

"No, don't cry," Sephiroth ordered.

Anne wailed as she began crying, tears flying onto the carpet and making it smoke.

"She's still leaking magic?!" Genesis exclaimed as Zack hopped from one foot to the next.

"Um, uh, Anne! Anne, look here!"

Anne looked up at him with a dazed face.

"Look, I can do magic!"

He reached behind her ear and pulled out a coin. This cleared her tears up as she looked at it curiously. Zack grinned as he flipped the coin up and began distracting her with more street tricks. Sephiroth took Genesis away to the side as Anne began trying to steal the coin and dropped to all fours to meet his eye level.

"It's been three days since I transferred magic to her core," he murmured to him "It should have worn off by now. I'm worried so I'm going to go to the library for some research and I must not be disturbed."

"Your Majesty, do you remember the last time you left her with us?" Genesis asked "She tore down five sets of doors just to get to you."

"That's why you're going to do a better job to look after her and I'll set up a magic barrier on the library doors," Sephiroth said sternly.

"Why can't you just have her in the library with you?" Genesis asked.

"Because I don't want her to wreck the place," Sephiroth grumbled "There are many precious documents and books in there and it's my favourite room."

Genesis rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"Just say I didn't warn you," he huffed and Sephiroth snorted before leaving.

"Wait for me!"

Anne slammed into the door as Sephiroth swung it shut and she fell back with a whine. Genesis and Zack tensed as she sniffed.

"Anne, look over here, look what I can do!" Zack said eagerly as he ran up the wall and backflipped "Ta-da!"

"Foxy, come back!" Anne wailed as she cried loudly whilst Genesis put his strongest barrier on the doors.

The red fox snorted before crouching down before the brain-scrambled Wiccan.

"Look, I have fox ears," he said twitching them "Can't I be your Foxy for a while?"

Anne sniffed, wiping her tears away to take a good look at Genesis. She reached out and pulled on them hard.

"Ow!"

Anne giggled as Genesis sat back, nursing his poor ears.

"Urgh, why are we the ones that have to babysit her again?" he asked as purple streak began appeared on Anne's face from the magic filled tears.

"Because His Majesty found us first?" Zack tilted his head curiously.

"Hm, still it looks like she's tamer than before," Genesis commented as Anne held her hands up to the light of the chandelier above them, lying down flat on her back and kicking her legs.

"La, la, li la!" she sung loudly like a five year old.

"You think the excess magic is nearly out of her system?" Zack asked as he leaned over her with a cheeky grin "Boo!"

"Achoo!"

Anne sneezed and fire shot out of her nose, catching Zack's hair on fire. Genesis snorted as Zack began running around in a blind panic to put the fire out.

"I sincerely hope so," he said as Anne sniffed, rubbing her nose "Oh dear, you got a little burn there, let me help."

He helped Anne sit up and placed a couple of fingers on her nose.

"Iyasu."

Anne squealed and giggled as a little burst of magic ran through her face and healed her burns up.

"Oi, Gen! Help me too!" Zack cried as the fire began spreading.

Genesis sighed and waved his hand.

"Mizu."

WHOOSH!

Zack spluttered as a tonne of water fell down on him, leaving him a smoking mess. Anne giggled and clapped her hands at the spectacle whilst Genesis smirked.

"Isn't he just a ridiculous silly billy?" he asked whilst ruffling the young girl's hair.

Anne's face dropped as she turned to Genesis with a serious look.

"Silly billy?" she echoed, suddenly sounding mature "How old do you think I am?"

Genesis withdrew suddenly as Zack looked up with a twinkle of hope in his eye. Genesis smiled warily.

"Oh, I'm sorry, how old are you?" he asked teasingly.

Anne leaned forward with a serious look.

"Six years old!" she grinned before blowing in his face.

Her breath had magic in it though thankfully not as much as the last time she blew in someone's face. Genesis still ended up with a frozen nose however and did not look impressed.

"Anne, we told you before that it's not nice to spread your magic around, it hurts people," he said nasally.

This simply prompted Anne to giggle and laugh and Genesis used magic to gently thaw his nose.

"Aw, silly Anne!" Zack grinned as he walked over and petted her head.

He yelped when Anne suddenly nipped his fingers, her saliva turning them glittery and she stood up, running towards the doors.

"Anne, wait, I put…" Genesis started.

Anne reached for the door handle and purple electricity erupted everywhere, sending her back a few paces.

"…a Level Four Barrier spell on those…" Genesis finished as Anne's eyes watered.

"Aw, you're hurt!" Zack cooed as he dashed over to try and stop Anne from crying "Don't worry! Doctor Zack…"

Anne screamed shrilly, sending sound waves across the room in a violent manner. Genesis and Zack winced and held their ears, trembling as her scream increased in volume.

"Yep, definitely tamer!" Genesis called over the noise "And smarter, she's focusing the magic this time!"

"This is her focusing her magic?!" Zack called.

"Well what passes as focus in her current state!"

There was a loud shatter and Anne's scream died down as Genesis's barrier fell to pieces at her feet. Genesis stared, gobsmacked as Anne pushed against the door and it fell down with a loud boom. She stepped onto the solid wood, sniffing around curiously.

"Well that took a while compared to last time," Genesis commented as Anne suddenly dashed off down the corridor.

"Foxy! Come out to play!"

"Damn it!" Zack cursed as he and Genesis chased after her.

"Foxy!"

"Anne! Hey, Anne! We have a Foxy here! He may not be silver but he's red and he may not be as big as His Majesty but he'll let you pull on his ears and tail!"

"No, I won't!"

"Foxy!"

Aerith poked her head out of the room when the commotion reached her corridor and saw Anne running around.

"Anne!"

Anne screeched to a halt when Aerith popped out of her room, holding up a lacy pink dress with a large sash.

"Look what I made for you," she cooed and Anne looked at it curiously "Shall we try it on? I know you prefer black but pink will look good on you."

She had been making more childish dresses for Anne these past few days since Anne enjoyed scampering around and the older and more mature dresses easily got torn apart, especially when the poor Wiccan accidentally had tumbled into Angeal's rose bushes. Today it was a short cut dark green dress with stockings that, to the seamstress's dismay, were already stained with the excess magic Anne was still leaking. Anne crouched down to look at the dress closer whilst Zack and Genesis came around the corner, catching their breath.

"Good job, Aerith," Zack wheezed as he held up a thumbs up.

"Right, we need a plan to secure her before she goes off," Genesis breathed "My Level Four Barrier doesn't stand a chance but she is taking longer to tear them down."

"Her magic is finally waning then?" Aerith said as Anne took the sash in her hands "I heard her scream earlier…"

"Yeah, she's begun to focus her magic, her brain is starting to function a bit better," Genesis scratched his head "Does Angeal have any sedatives standing by?"

"None that would be strong enough to battle her excess magic," Zack grumbled "And it would take a while for him to brew one."

Anne clamped her jaws tight around the sash and Aerith huffed.

"No, Anne, you don't do that with dresses," she scolded.

Anne pulled the sash out when the material began to crystalize and scampered around her to run off.

"Foxy!"

"No, come back!"

Genesis and Zack pursued after her as Aerith examined the sash with a soft sigh.

"Actually not a bad touch," she said whilst raising an eyebrow.

* * *

"Wind goes next to fire and water goes next to ice," Yuffie hummed as she floated upside down with her rune stones in her favourite corridor "Rock goes with metal and earth goes on top of energy!"

There was a loud childlike gasp and Yuffie looked down to see Anne gazing up at her stones in wonder.

"Oh hey there, Anne!" she said with a wave "Still a bit cuckoo with His Majesty's excess magic?"

Anne batted a floating rune stone in awe, like a kitty.

"I'll take that as a yes," Yuffie grinned and sent three rune stones to orbit Anne.

Anne giggled as she swatted at them, watching them as they moved with her and began running around in circles, giggling in delight. Yuffie smiled warmly as she continued rearranging her rune stones, making sure they aligned neatly in rows circling around her.

"Oh, good job, Yuf!" Zack cheered as he and Genesis appeared on the scene.

"Again, that's not going to keep her for very long, her attention span is shortening," Genesis said with a slight frown.

"Sure it'll keep her," Yuffie grinned as she beckoned to Anne.

Anne squealed as her gravity weakened and began jumping up and down, gaining more height with every leap. Genesis and Zack watched her and Genesis went to the other side of the corridor, ready to catch Anne if she decided that she wanted to scarper when she got bored. Anne only began showing signs of being bored when she stopped leaping and began yawning, looking around idly.

"Wait, that's it!" Zack snapped his fingers "Yuffie, you have a Sleeping Rune, right?"

"Sure," Yuffie nodded as she lowered herself to one row "Here it is."

"Over here, Yuffie, I can use it on Anne," Genesis said as he raised a hand.

"Fine but make sure to give it back straight after."

Yuffie tossed the rune stone to Genesis who caught it and blew on it softly.

"Nadameru."

He threw it at Anne who was lazily poking the rune stones circling her.

"Hey, no need to throw it that hard!" Zack frowned.

Anne noticed the glowing stone hurtling towards her and ducked. Zack yelped when it came towards him and he hit it up…where it hit Yuffie.

"Ow!" Yuffie whined as she rubbed her head "What's the…?"

She swayed slightly, eyes drooping and she yawned, falling down. Zack dashed forward and caught her, shielding her as the rune stones fell from their places. Genesis winced as one fell on his head as Anne laughed, clapping happily at the spectacle.

"Well, she's definitely getting smarter," he grumbled.

"Ooo~!"

Anne picked up one of the rune stones and grinned. Genesis's eyes widened when he recognized the rune on it.

"No, Anne, put that down!" he barked.

Anne gleefully bit down on the stone, wincing at the impact and not noticing her excess magic sparking life into the rune stone.

"Zack, heads up!"

FWOOSH!

Zack coughed and hacked as black smoke erupted from the rune stone in Anne's hands and Genesis shielded his face.

"Urgh, what kind of rune is that?!" Zack coughed.

"Yuffie calls it her 'Ninja Vanish' Rune but it's traditionally the Concealment Rune," Genesis replied.

"My eyes are burning!"

"Wait out the pain!"

The two canine hybrids waited until the smoke cleared to find Anne had disappeared.

"Oh no, where did she go?!" Zack exclaimed as he blinked away his tears.

"This is bad, really bad," Genesis bit his lip.

"Wait, we can just listen for the chaos," Zack snapped his fingers and closed his eyes, focusing his hearing.

Genesis did the same and sure enough they only had to wait for a few seconds until a crash originated from below them.

"To the kitchen!" Zack cheered as he placed Yuffie down and they scarpered downstairs.

* * *

"Fucking Shiva, what hit me?" Cid grumbled as he lay amongst the stained pots with orange goo covering him.

"You said a bad word."

Cid looked up, rubbing his head and saw Anne over him with a grave expression.

"Oh, Anne," he mumbled "Still a bit loopy from the excess magic?"

"Loopy…?"

"Come on, Anne, stand up."

Anne looked up at Angeal curiously who offered a hand to help her up. She pounced on him and she hugged him tightly as he stumbled.

"Daddy!"

Angeal chuckled as he patted her back.

"Did Foxy leave you by yourself?"

He felt her nod against his head.

"And Red Foxy and Puppy have been pestering you?"

Another nod.

"Alright, Daddy's here, you can play with me."

Anne pulled away with a bright smile and tilted her head.

"Yay!" she cheered softly as Cid stood, brushing himself down.

She giggled as Angeal let her jump onto his shoulders and bounced up and down playfully.

"I wanna go outside!" she declared.

"It's cold outside, you'll need to put something warm on," Angeal said as Cid grumbled whilst clearing the kitchen up.

"But I don't want to!" Anne whined.

"I'm sorry but we can't go out until we find a cloak for you."

Anne craned her head to look at Angeal with a pout. Angeal was fazed and Anne huffed.

"But I hate putting cloaks on," she whined.

"Anne, it is too cold to go out like that," Angeal said sternly.

"Fine, I won't go out," Anne sighed as she slid down to Angeal's back who supported her legs.

Angeal smiled as she closed her eyes with a soft sigh.

"Aw, are you tired?"

Anne nodded as she relaxed and slowly drifted off. The doors opened and Genesis and Zack saw the situation, sighing in relief when they saw Angeal carrying a sleepy Anne on his back.

"Angeal, you're amazing," Zack sighed as he sank to his knees from exhaustion.

"The moment we turn back human I'm implanting a womb inside me so I can have your babies," Genesis declared which made Angeal blush lightly and Cid choke on his toothpick "You are going to be an excellent father."

"Genesis, don't be so embarrassing," Angeal muttered softly.

"Well should we get her to bed then?"

"Angeal and I shall take her to bed," Genesis said as Angeal walked towards them "Remember the last time she went to sleep then got woken up by you?"

Cid grumbled as he pulled his shirt down to show Zack his scar from Anne's magic. Zack looked away sheepishly.

* * *

Rosso and Cloud shifted as they saw Anne being carried by a tall brunette and a redhead following them.

"Right, you say she's not normally active and chasing people around like we've observed these past few days," she murmured and Cloud nodded.

"Is that really Anne?" he whispered.

"She looks like her, right?" Rosso glanced at the blonde "This out of character behaviour is troubling. He might have possessed her."

"Possessed?" Cloud frowned "So she's not doing any of this from her own will?"

"No, he's got her completely under his spell," Rosso hissed as she cupped her chin "This isn't normal, out of character on his part. This might be an experiment of sorts. Tell me, does Anne have any intimate relationships?"

"She has been wooed in the past but she's rejected every man for the sake of studying," Cloud replied "Claims she wants to be a spinster."

"So a virgin," Rosso murmured "This is bad."

"What, why?" Cloud asked in alarm.

"She's young, has a lot of potential, intelligent and a virgin, it's most likely he wants to use her as a means of reproduction."

Cloud tensed and Rosso placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It should take a while to have her prepared for such a ritual to turn her into what he is," she said "We need to find an opportunity when she's alone and grab her."

She turned to Cloud.

"He knows my scent well so it'll take him longer to react if you go into the grounds," she explained "You might not have a lot of time but you need to be as quick as you can to get in, get her and get out. I can find something to help her break from the possession."

"Alright," Cloud nodded.

"Have you gone against a creature that wields magic?"

"The worst I've handled is a Malboro," Cloud shrugged.

Rosso was silent for a minute.

"I'll jump in when you're in dire need of help," she said.

CRASH!

They looked up to see Anne running away from the brunette and redhead.

"The opportunity might be later than anticipated," Rosso commented.

* * *

"I don't wanna go to bed!" Anne wailed as she ran down the corridors.

"Anne, sweetie, you said you were tired!" Genesis called.

"Not anymore! I want Foxy!"

"We have Red Foxy!" Angeal called as he pointed to Genesis.

"Not the same!"

"He'll let you pull his tail!"

"No I won't!"

Anne paused when she saw a silver tail and Zack, covered in silver paint, braced himself to run.

"Foxy!"

Zack dashed off as Anne began chasing him around the castle. Genesis and Angeal let out a sigh as they fell to their knees.

"On the other hand, I've a whole life ahead of myself, I'll wait until I'm ready to raise children," Genesis murmured as he leaned against Angeal.

"Agreed," Angeal yawned as he hugged Genesis tightly.

* * *

"Yes, here's Mr Foxy!" Zack cheered as he dashed across the corridors "Mr Foxy is ready to play!"

"Yay!"

"Mr Foxy loves to run, Mr Foxy loves to chase! Let's chase Mr Foxy!"

"Chase, chase, chase!"

"Dashing down the corridors! The stealthiest fox of them all! Mr Foxy is ready for action! Can you keep up?"

"Yes…"

"Oh, Foxy here, Foxy there, let's all try to catch Mr Foxy! He's fast, can you catch him? I bet you can't! So, boys and girls! Can I get a whoop whoop?!"

No answer. Zack screeched to a halt and turned with a frown.

"I said, can I get a whoop whoop?!" he yelled.

Still no answer. Zack panted as his frown deepened.

"Did I go too fast?" he murmured.

There was a shatter of glass and he huffed.

"Damn it…" he whined as he sat down with his arms folded.

Suddenly, Sephiroth's roar shook the castle and he froze.

"That doesn't sound good."

* * *

Cloud looked up when he heard the earth-shattering roar and carefully picked up Anne who had passed out when chasing the paint covered dog hybrid. But the moment he stood up, the large silver beast skidded around the corner and looked down at him. His sinister green eyes looked towards Anne and he roared again, prompting Cloud to unsheathe his sword.

"You let her go and I may let you leave unscathed," he growled ominously.

"I won't let you turn her into a beast like you," Cloud said as he held his sword up to him.

The beast snarled and stood on his hind legs.

"You don't know what you're dealing with," he warned.

Cloud narrowed his eyes.

"Bring it."


	14. Chapter 15

Aerith hummed as she stitched and sewed the multiple dresses around her. There would be a rainbow of dresses if colours like yellow or brown suited the young Wiccan. Aerith loved stitching and sewing for other girls however since the curse it was just her and Yuffie who certainly did not like dresses. Ever since Anne had arrived so many designs had just flooded into Aerith's mind and the moment she is rid of the excess magic that Sephiroth so stupidly put inside her, Aerith was going to have the young Wiccan try all of them.

"UNHAND HER!"

Aerith jolted with a soft huff as another roar shook the castle accompanied by the chorus of crashing.

"Really, you can never get any peace and quiet around here," she murmured and the castle shook again which caused her to prick her finger "Oh dear."

A pained roar cracked the window and Aerith repaired it with the wave of her hand and a murmured word in Shinto.

"Honestly," she grumbled whilst kissing her finger to get rid of the pinprick.

"Aerith!"

Aerith frowned disapprovingly as her fiancé stumbled over the mannequin with the lilac floral dress on when he burst in.

"Zack…" she whined as silver paint got smudged against the dark purple roses.

"You can fix it later!" Zack panted with wide eyes "We're in trouble, some very deep trouble, like Genesis's hair got turned blue only much, much worse!"

"You didn't make his hair green or silver, did you?" Aerith asked as she eyed the silver paint covering him.

"No! This has nothing or little to do with Genesis!" Zack shook his head "The blonde swordsman broke in and has Anne!"

"Is she alright?" Aerith gasped as she stood.

"I don't know, she's unconscious and Genesis, Angeal, Cid, Luxiere, Kunsel and I have been trying to help His Majesty grab her back but…but…he's using magic! Stregherian magic!"

"What?!" Aerith exclaimed as she stood from her place "So he's one of her followers?!"

"I don't think so, he doesn't seem to know how to control it, she might be manipulating it from outside the grounds."

"Why are you telling me this, you should be helping them!"

"No, we need you!" Zack looked very agitated now "Because this guy doesn't know how to wield the magic, it's seriously raw, pure magic and His Majesty is in critical condition because of it! He needs medical attention fast, like Aerith and her super-duper healing abilities fast!"

"Well take me to him!" Aerith exclaimed and they ran down the corridors.

* * *

Cloud landed awkwardly at the end of the corridor, red magic swirling around his sword as he faced the crowd of angry dog hybrids. He felt drained already and glanced at the sleeping girl on his back who showed no signs of waking up soon.

"Look, buddy," the red fox hybrid panted as he flicked some blood off his fox ear and adjusted his grip on his sword "Just give her back and you can go unharmed. You don't really know how to handle such powerful magic."

Cloud braced his sword, warily eyeing the magic swirling around the blade but it stopped the hybrids from moving.

"Let me leave with her and everyone has their heads still on their shoulders," he warned.

"You don't understand," the Doberman hybrid breathed "We need her."

"Yeah, it'll only be for…what, a few more months?" the dingo hybrid glanced at the others who nodded "Yeah, we don't intend to harm her or anything."

Cloud gritted his teeth and he tightened his grip on his sword. He checked to see if Anne was still secure to him with his belts and sighed.

"I can't trust you," he said.

"Sure, we get it," the red fox hybrid shrugged "Maybe you'd be able to trust us if you hear it from her lips…"

"You possessed her, I'm not easily tricked."

"What?" the red fox looked tired as he dropped his arms.

"It's no use, she's poisoned his mind too much to reason with him," the Doberman whispered but Cloud could still hear.

"Then how do we get past that damned magic amplified sword without losing a couple of limbs like his Majesty?" the red fox hissed.

Cloud lifted his sword and the Great Dane and Rottweiler flinched.

"Watch out!"

Cloud sent a wave of red energy towards them before taking off down the corridor.

"ANGEAL!" came a wail of despair.

Cloud tore through the corridor but was halted as a red blur cut across his path and a fist smacked him straight in the jaw. The blonde stumbled back, using a hand to support Anne as he began seeing stars and looked at the red fox hybrid in a daze.

"I ought to tear you to shreds and mount your head above my fireplace!" he cried out, tears pricking his eyes and he continued to dole out the punches.

Cloud dodged the punches as he felt the angry surge of magic rush through his wrist and he winced, slightly afraid to wield his weapon. But, these were merely monsters that mimicked human behaviour and were converted by the monster of the castle, so Rosso said anyway. So…desperate times. Cloud grunted swung his blade and the red fox hybrid stared at him with wide eyes, choking as he was flung up into the ceiling, blood drizzling down over Cloud and Anne. The swordsman winced sympathetically before running off through the castle.

Where had the magic come from? The power terrified Cloud to the near brink of insanity, using magic was practically asking for a painful suicide! Was it something within the castle that was triggering something in him? There were rumours about the Strife line being associated with magic beings but Cloud always avoided anything to do with magic. It was dangerous and only used by the power hungry and the greedy cold hearts. Hopefully it would wear off eventually.

"Nngh…"

Cloud skidded to a halt in the foyer as Anne groaned and he quickly unbuckled the belts so she slid around him and into his arms.

"Oi, Anne," he whispered as he gently shook her, cupping her cheek "Anne, wake up. It's me, Cloud."

Anne stirred and her eyes slowly opened to look up at him, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"Wha…?"

A roar shook the room and doors slammed open. Cloud cursed as he looked up at the fearsome beast that stood at the top of the staircase, towering over them with a frenzied look, a tint of green magic hovering over where his wounds once were. His sinister green eyes drunk in the scene before dilating and another roar echoed throughout the castle.

"Don't you DARE touch her, you common swill!"

Cloud grunted as he couldn't react fast enough as the creature practically teleported in front of him and shoved him so hard he nearly flew through the doors. He landed with a hard crunch outside in the courtyard and sat up, wincing as he felt at least a few fractures. His eyes widened as he saw the silver fox pick Anne up gently as she cradled her head, holding her close to him whilst sniffing her. He readied his sword and the creature snapped his head to him.

"Kyanseru!"

There were two smashes and Cloud looked down to see shards of red crystal fall out of his blade and the magic disappeared. He didn't know whether to feel relief or dread as the creature began charging towards him, his maws opening for another spell… Cloud closed his eyes to brace for the impact…

"Stop."

Cloud dared to look up and saw Anne's tiny hand on the monster's nose, taking his full attention.

"He's…Tifa's fiancé…" she breathed and the creature growled.

Her head flopped forward a bit and she looked down at Cloud, her lips parting before she lost consciousness again. The creature looked torn as it looked down at Cloud and carefully draped Anne across his shoulder then grabbing Cloud by the leg and lifting him up so he was upside down and at the beast's mercy.

"If you as so much set one toe in here again," he growled in warning whilst jabbing a nail into his chest "Then I won't be as kind as now."

And with that, Cloud was thrown out over the gates along with his sword.

* * *

Sephiroth nodded sternly as the blonde swordsman landed far into the forest before taking Anne back into his arms and carrying her back inside. He glanced down at her worriedly, even though his diagnosis spell said that there was nothing wrong and her magic was finally fully stabilised. She was his last chance to becoming human again. If she wouldn't be able to break the curse, then who would? Pain suddenly shot through his body and he stumbled, clutching the Wiccan to him so she wouldn't tumble out of his grip.

"Your Majesty, please rest," Aerith wheezed as she fell to her knees after chasing after the cursed king "You didn't let me finish…healing you…"

"Tend to the others," Sephiroth growled as he stomped past her.

"But…"

"Tend to the others!"

Aerith stared up at him before getting to her feet and following Zack who looked really worried as he practically pulled her down the corridor. Sephiroth took a moment to recover from the sudden assault then stood, continuing down the corridor and to Anne's room.

"Kurin," he murmured and the blood was washed off her "Henko, doresu, howaito."

Anne stirred as her dress let out a soft glow and she looked up at him once a white, loose gown clothed her. She didn't move as he tucked her into the bed and practically collapsed onto the bed, cringing as the magical damage still affected him. Anne shifted into a sitting position, holding her head whilst looking down at him.

"What happened?" she asked softly with a cracked voice.

"Your stupid magic core happened," Sephiroth growled.

He relaxed as she petted his ears, feeling the smooth leathery texture.

"Your idea."

"Well it won't happen again," Sephiroth promised "You're too troublesome when you're leaking magic."

Anne looked confused, apparently she had no memory of the past few days. Sephiroth lifted himself up, making her withdraw her hand, and shifted so he was curled around her, letting her lean her head on his side.

"Your fur is so soft," she whispered and he grumbled something incoherent "You're hurt."

"It'll heal."

"May I?"

"I want to stay alive thank you very much."

Anne glared at him weakly and he met it.

"You've just recovered from the magic leaking from your core and your magic hasn't been stable long enough to cast a proper spell," he explained "Knowing Aerith, she'll be coming soon to check up so it'll be fine. Just sleep so you can recover fully, your training will begin at dawn. No excuses."

"Training?"

Sephiroth shuffled so that he was more comfortable around her and blinked in confirmation.

"You want to be a better Wiccan? You'll need guidance. I know very little about Wiccan traditions however I can help you control your adjusted core and will continue to add magic to it so it will grow to the size that a normal Wiccan of your age should have."

Anne looked thoughtful for a few moments before smiling and running a hand through his fur.

"Thank you."

Sephiroth grunted as he closed his eyes and wrapped four of his nine tails around her. He felt her arms hugging them gently, the magic aura that she now emitted soothing him to sleep.

* * *

"Well you managed to get out in one piece."

Cloud glared at Rosso from where he hung helplessly upside down and his sword so frustratingly out of reach.

"Something happened to my sword…" he started.

"Ah yes, I put these in so you would have a better chance," Rosso explained as she held up two crystal red balls "Power Crystals, they give weapons magical properties. As the beast is a being of magic, I had hoped this would put you on an equal level."

"You could have told me," Cloud huffed as she helped him down and took up his sword.

"Tell me, how is she?" Rosso asked "Did you manage to draw her out of her possessed state?"

"I'm not sure but she recognized me," Cloud frowned and Rosso sighed in relief.

"Then we have more time than I had thought," she nodded "Clearly we need a different approach."

"We need more men," Cloud frowned.

"No, not too soon," Rosso shook her head and paced up and down "They'll be expecting another attack, we need to catch them off guard. If she recognized you then maybe homesickness will take hold."

"And that means…?"

"It may take months but you will need to stay around to make sure she doesn't fully fall under his spell," Rosso explained "It may take weeks, it may take months, but we need to draw her out, if she is still attached to her home then it will break the spell temporarily and she'll be able to leave the grounds. Then we take her far away from here but she will want to go back so before she does come out, you will need to recruit hunters to slay the beast so the spell will be completely broken."

"Will it work?" Cloud hissed as he clicked a joint into place "It will take up a lot of time if you think it'll take months. What if it's too late?"

"It's worth a shot, risky but if it works, she will be safe and restrained far away as we take care of the creature."

Rosso smirked confidently at Cloud.

"You do trust me, correct?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes at her.

"For now."


	15. Chapter 16

Anne woke up being surrounded by a terrifying yet soothing aura of magic. She stretched out with a loud yawn as the creature that was her pillow shifted. The tails around her midsection tightened their grip slightly as she tried to sit up. She was pulled back into the silver fur and she looked down at Sephiroth's face when he brought his head around to lay on her lap, looking up at her with one eye. His front paws were crossed over one another by where her legs were as his hind legs lay relaxed on her other side. Anne placed a hand over the tails around her with a raised eyebrow, marvelling at their length when they're uncurled.

"Can I get up?" she asked.

Sephiroth snorted which indicated that she can't. His ears twitched and Anne reached out to scratch them, the rumble beneath her head telling her that it was appreciated. Sephiroth sighed softly as he lifted his head and pressed his wet black nose to her forehead.

"Kurin."

Anne felt her cheeks heat up as a wave of magic washed across her body, making her feel refreshed. She blinked as Sephiroth sniffed her neck before growling.

"Henko, doresu, ao."

Anne jumped as much as she could whilst being held down by four tails as her nightgown lit up, morphed and turned into a simple blue dress.

"Seriously, you need to stop or at the very least ask for permission to do that," she scowled.

"Aerith by now is asleep and it's quicker than going to her room so you can spend precious time picking one of her thousands of dresses that she's made for you."

"It's been like a day or two, she can't have made a thousand dresses," Anne frowned and Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"…Aerith's speciality magic is healing but she does use magic to aid her in her dress making," he said before lifting his head "I promised you training at dawn, it is dawn."

Anne turned her head as Sephiroth muttered something which had the curtains draw back to show the first of the sun's rays peeking over the forest. Anne blinked in surprise and yelped as the tails lifted her up and placed her on his back as he stepped down from the bed, yawning softly.

"Hold on and don't be too loud," he said as he stretched out, Anne adjusting awkwardly as his muscles shifted underneath her and she clung onto his fur whilst he walked out of the bedroom and down the corridor.

Anne admired his messy locks fondly, running her fingers through the silver threads gently as he moved through the gloom of the castle. Sephiroth grunted softly with every knot she found but dismissed it, making his way up to the East Wing balcony which was above Anne's room. He stopped on the balcony and lay down on the rug, allowing the young Wiccan to slip off onto the mat with a soft thwump.

"Ow," she winced whilst rubbing her butt tenderly.

"Meditate."

Anne blinked up at the large creature who sat behind her.

"The sun is the source of all life and dawn's rays have healing properties whereas dusk's rays have destructive properties."

He nosed her back to straighten it and lay down comfortably.

"Taking in the rays will help heal any damage I may have inadvertently inflicted to your core," he said "This will speed up your growth and capacity so I can add more power sooner rather than later."

"And you'll stop once my core is at an average size," Anne confirmed as she slowly closed her eyes.

"…Average from what I've seen."

Anne nodded warily at Sephiroth's hesitant response as the warm rays slowly crept across the balcony and she was bathed in the light. Sephiroth observed her being, already looking more vibrant from his magic inside her, absorb the dawn's rays and pricked his ears as cracks in the stone began healing.

"Focus on the sun, not your surroundings," he instructed.

"What?"

Sephiroth lifted a paw as the torn rug began repairing itself.

"You're deflecting the sun's magic onto other things, focus on it and nothing else," he said "Otherwise you'll use up energy absorbing and using the magic."

"I-It's not hurting anything is it?"

Sephiroth shuddered slightly as her magic got deflected onto him and began repairing the wounds Aerith had semi-healed with her strained magic from last night.

"Nngh, no but you need to learn to focus on the sun so when you're absorbing the dusk's rays, the castle is still standing."

Anne flinched and her brows furrowed. Sephiroth lay his head down, gritting his teeth as her alluring magic continued to circle him, healing the internal bleeding, the tiny fractures that were left and even the nagging tooth pain that had been bothering him for years. It was when it finally stopped that he let out a sigh, out of relief or disappointment, it wasn't certain. He cracked his eye open and saw that the magic was being more contained as Anne made more of an effort to focus on the sun that was steadily rising. He lifted his head slightly and took in how serene the scene before him was.

The young Wiccan was breathing steadily as she soaked up the dawn, her mind solely focused on the sun and out of nowhere, Sephiroth remembered how his mother would absorb the dawn's rays. She would stand, rather than sit like Anne was doing, her arms spread out as if she wanted to embrace the sun itself, to become one with it. Anne was passively accepting the rays. This girl wasn't as ambitious as he or his parents were before their untimely deaths. Sephiroth didn't witness his father's passing but the way his mother went haunted him. It was a brutal assassination and he had just turned twenty six.

At first, it looked like an assassination attempt with a blow dart to the neck which hadn't been dipped in poison and didn't kill her instantly. It was only when she began collapsing at random times that they realised, it had been a magic serum that was killing her. It was in her blood system, going through the organs and slowly burning them until they were nothing but dust. Sephiroth remembered the panic in his mother's eyes as she tried to find a cure but to no avail. She worked tirelessly, analysing, mixing, testing but all for nought. Sephiroth hadn't realised just how much his mother feared death. The guilt of their victims was on her back and Sephiroth could only watch passively as his mother tried and failed to prevent her inevitable death. It was six months after her death that Rosso arrived to curse Sephiroth.

Sephiroth pricked his ears up as a soft, delicate hand was placed on his head and he looked up to see Anne crouched over him.

"You're crying."

Sephiroth jerked to a sitting position to shake away the tears and take a deep breath.

"You should be meditating."

"The magic flow stopped."

Sephiroth looked at the position of the sun to see it was past dawn and nodded slowly.

"Angeal is still in critical condition from yesterday," he said and Anne blinked in alarm "Your sister's fiancé was using raw magic which nearly killed him. I'll have to make the magic enhancers myself to go with your breakfast."

"Magic enhancers?" Anne frowned as he lay down for her to climb on his back "What for?"

Sephiroth stood and began walking through the castle to go down to the kitchen.

"To widen your range of spells, with your core and half-blood status, I can assume you couldn't conduct certain spells."

"I haven't exactly tested out my full power but I've never had that problem."

Sephiroth paused to look over his shoulder at the young Wiccan.

"Never?"

"Well of course I only limited myself to rituals, alchemy and spells which proved to be useful to me," Anne shrugged "I never went for spells that could cause trouble."

Sephiroth paused for a moment then hummed.

"We can go through the Wiccan section of my mother's library and see which spells you are capable of casting," he said and felt Anne's hands tighten their grip on his fur.

"You have a library?!" she exclaimed and Sephiroth rolled his eyes when he remembered that she has no memory of the past three days.

"Yes but you can only go in with me supervising you," he said and felt Anne's arms around his neck hugging him.

"Thank you!"

Sephiroth grunted sullenly before continuing down to the kitchen.

* * *

Genesis should have been in his bed where Aerith left him to recover but after seeing Angeal take a critical hit from that blonde swordsman, he managed to get up, despite how much his back was killing him, walk across the corridor undetected, drag a chair to Angeal's bedside and promptly fall asleep beside him. He woke in the early morning as Angeal stirred and finally opened his eyes.

"Genesis?" he croaked and groaned as he stirred and reached out to place a bandaged hand on Genesis's head.

Genesis sighed contently as those strong fingers scratched his scalp and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"I ache all over but someone's in the kitchen," Angeal groaned and Genesis raised an eyebrow "How much do you hurt?"

"If I stand up, I might vomit."

Angeal sighed as he shifted slowly to look at Genesis with a worried frown.

"What happened to you?" he asked as he saw cuts across Genesis's face and gently caressed his cheek.

"I may have tried to knock that swordsman out and got flung into the ceiling," Genesis murmured as he looked away guiltily and Angeal hissed.

"Genesis…" he murmured "You shouldn't have done that."

"You shouldn't have shielded me from that attack," Genesis pouted.

"The worst thing I fear is seeing you get hurt," Angeal grimaced.

"Vice versa here," Genesis glared "Next time, grab Zack to use as a human shield to block uncontrolled magic attacks."

"Zack wasn't around at the time."

"Cid."

"Alright."

Genesis sighed happily as he inched across further on the bed to lay his head carefully on Angeal's chest. Still sensing Angeal's distress, Genesis glanced up at his boyfriend with a curious frown.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"There's someone in the kitchen," Angeal grumbled as he shifted uneasily.

"It's like five in the morning, no-one is in the kitchen," Genesis rolled his eyes.

"Genesis, there is someone in the kitchen," Angeal said firmly as he groaned when trying to sit up.

"Angeal, honey, don't push yourself," Genesis said hurriedly as he lifted his head slightly "I'll call Kunsel, have him check the kitchen, just please wait until you're fully recovered to try to move?"

Angeal looked displeased at his bedridden state but lay back with a small nod. Genesis pecked his cheek sweetly before calling Kunsel with a quick spell.

* * *

Kunsel sat in front of the door of the kitchen, quivering at the sounds that were coming from the other side. He flatted his Great Dane ears and whined at the massive explosion that came next.

"Damn it, Angeal!" Sephiroth roared and Kunsel backed away slowly "He can't label things properly!"

Kunsel perked his ears up at a vaguely familiar magic aura with Sephiroth's inside. Was that…the Wiccan girl? There was something different about her…

"Need any help?" she squeaked.

"Just eat your fruit," Sephiroth snapped and there was a soft yelp as Kunsel heard someone being pushed into a chair.

There was silence and Kunsel slowly inched forward to nudge the door open when there was a flash of light. He froze up and heard stifled laughter which was followed by a low growl.

"Is something funny to you?" Sephiroth asked venomously which had Kunsel retreat further away until he was pressed up to the wall opposite the door.

Kunsel stared at the crack of the door and just saw Anne trying to hold her laughter in, covering her mouth with one hand whilst holding an apple in the other. He stared at her, trying to will her to not even let out a single giggle. It was all for naught. About ten to fifteen seconds later, the poor Wiccan, unaware of the impending doom before her, burst out into uncontrollable laughter, coughing on her mouthful of apple but managed to swallow it before choking it up. She laughed and laughed hysterically as Kunsel felt Sephiroth's rage in powerful waves of magic.

"I said, is something funny to you?!"

Judging by Anne's face, Kunsel guessed she was now aware of the enraged beast before her but she still couldn't stop laughing. She placed her apple down, lowered her other hand to hold her stomach as she slowly got up. Unable to form a coherent sentence, the Wiccan shifted her grip to hold the skirt of her dress and ran out of the kitchen in a flash, laughing hysterically along the way as Sephiroth let out a roar. Kunsel flattened himself to the floor next as the doors flung open and a glittering Sephiroth, he looked like a big hairy fairy in the moonlight, tore across the corridors, chasing the cackling girl. There was a brief pause before Kunsel covered his snout to snort in amusement.

* * *

"I'll teach you to laugh at me!"

Aerith and Zack jolted awake as they heard hysterical laughter and enraged roars accompanied by some shrieks. They looked at each other in alarm before scrambling out of bed to find Sephiroth before he tore Anne apart.

"Come on, this is too early to stop His Majesty from murdering someone," Zack whined as Aerith slid a dressing gown over her nightdress.

"Not now, Zack!" she hissed before dashing out, a bit more refreshed after some sleep.

They charged out of the bedroom and began running towards the sounds of mirth, terror and rage. They went up the stairs, they went down the stairs, they went to the West Wing before rushing to the East Wing but didn't seem to be able to find the Wiccan or the Shinto. Then they heard a loud crash near Anne's room and managed to turn the corner to see…a very sparkly Sephiroth trying to break into the Wiccan's room. Zack snorted and Aerith quickly cupped his mouth before cupping her own.

"Y-Your Majesty?" Aerith coughed and the king turned to them sharply "Pr-Problem?"

Zack then snapped and howled with laughter, falling onto the floor as he did so as Aerith swallowed down her laughs as much as possible. Sephiroth snarled at him before stepping away from Anne's doors.

"Something funny?" he asked and Aerith shook her head a little too quickly.

"His fur-haha!" Zack howled as he rolled around "Oh, just like diamonds!"

Sephiroth snarled before drawing back a fist.

"Pawa!"

Aerith jumped as red energy enveloped his fist and he slammed the doors off their hinges. Anne was standing in the middle of a pentagram that she'd hastily scrawled on the floor with her blood, with candles surrounding her, and dropped her Book of Shadows mid-chant as the doors flung open. There was a brief moment as both Wiccan and Shinto stared at each other blankly and Anne faded away as her unfinished spell took effect and Sephiroth's eyes widened in realisation.

"Anne!"

He lunged forward to grab her but she was gone. He looked around in a panic, sticking his nose in the air to detect her aura.

"ANNE!"

* * *

Anne woke up with a pounding headache and in a panic when she remembered her escape plan had gone unfinished. She patted her body up and down before sighing in relief when she found she was still in one piece. She shakily stood up and looked around curiously at her surroundings. Considering the bookshelves, she guessed this was the library that Sephiroth mentioned. Curiosity got to her as she began wandering down the aisles, her eyes wide with awe at the masses and masses of books. Bugenhagen's bookstore looked like a little hut compared to this massive library. Anne smiled happily as she trailed her hand along the spines of the books on one shelf as she walked down with wide red eyes. She paused to breathe in the relaxing scent of books, parchment and paper before opening her eyes to face a large oil painting.

It was of a woman with long brown hair, her hands on the shoulders of a young adolescent boy with piercing green eyes and silver hair tied up neatly in a ponytail. She blinked uncertainly, was this Sephiroth before the curse? Then that woman…was Lucrecia Crescent. Anne's eyes focused on the crescent shaped pendent the woman wore and she suddenly felt choked up. This woman tried to kill Vincent, her ancestor, she killed so many other Wiccans and other races of magic too! Hatred surged through her which startled her. She gripped her neck where the choking sensation was, tears stinging her eyes. She hadn't hated something so much before, so intense…not even her hatred for men was this strong.

Doors slammed open as she stumbled away to stop looking at the painting and she leaned on the window doors that lead to the patio in front of the rows of flowers Angeal planted. She began hiccupping and crying as the hatred began choking her harder and she struggled to breathe.

"Anne!"

Anne glared up through her tears at Sephiroth as he approached her cautiously, his eyes wide in alarm as he held his hand out to her.

"Anne, ssh…" he soothed as Anne glared at him venomously.

"What did you do to me?!" she screamed at him, her voice turning animalistic as she cowered before him, angry, frightened and feeling inhumane.

"Anne, you need to calm down, you aren't in any state…"

"You monster!" she screamed at him even more and Sephiroth flattened his ears as he cringed when her eyes began flaring and her pupils began turning oval.

"Anne, you don't know how to control your magic, just calm down before…"

"It's your magic!" Anne shrieked as Aerith and Zack poked their heads in and stared at her in alarm "Your dark magic! Magic that you harvested from the souls of my ancestors!"

Tears were flowing down her cheeks and Sephiroth inched forward carefully.

"I know…" he whispered as he tried to soothe her "I know and if I could, I would be willing to go back and find another way to gain power to protect my people."

Anne gasped as she swayed on the spot, her vision being covered in black spots, shaking her head and screaming more.

"I never asked for you to do this!" she yelled as her veins in her skin began to turn purple from the dark magic.

"Anne, you have to calm down now!" Sephiroth ordered as Zack and Aerith inched out of their hiding spaces, ready to leap into action if need be.

The whites of her eyes were turning yellow before Sephiroth raised his paw.

"Forgive me," he said as she bared her teeth at him like a rabid animal "Nadameru."

Anne snarled as his magic engulfed her and she stood on the spot, trying to fight the spell off. She then suddenly looked up at him in despair, eyes turning normal as she fell forward and into his arms. Aerith grimaced as Sephiroth picked Anne up, supporting her head on his shoulder.

"I thought it was too good to go as smoothly as this," she murmured as Sephiroth walked to the cushioned sofa that was in the centre of the library.

"His Majesty chasing her around with diamond fur is smoothly?" Zack raised an eyebrow and winced as Aerith shoved him.

"Zack, we have only a few months until the bush is in full bloom," she hissed "If she's like this then it'll be hard to break the curse in time."

"Well we'll steer her away from the negative things about him," Zack shrugged.

"Easier said than done when she's filled to the brim with his dark magic," Aerith said bitterly.

"Aerith…" Zack sighed.

"Zack, you remember how I came to be his seamstress!" Aerith scowled as she stormed off "If it weren't for you, I would have been another victim."

Sephiroth glared at the back of Aerith as she slammed the doors and Zack trailed after her, closing the doors more delicately. He snorted before curling around the recovering Wiccan, nosing her head to detect her state of health then sighed. He glanced up at the portrait of him and his mother forlornly.

"She'll understand, mother," he murmured as he draped his tails over her "She'll understand…"


	16. Chapter 17

Anne felt awful. That frightening dark magic was swirling around her, constricting, choking and ensnaring her in one spot. She brought her arms around herself to hug herself as the magic grew cold, making her skin like ice. Pain flared through her head as she tried to get rid of the magic, lashing out with her own but the only thing that did was make the magic stronger. Anne could only watch in despair as her white tendrils of magic were absorbed by the dark purple and black wisps around her and she whimpered.

"Leave me alone!" she cried out "Just leave me alone!"

"Ssh…ssh…"

Anne looked up and tensed when she saw a familiar figure step from the shadows.

"Don't come near me!" she snarled at Lucrecia who gazed down at her with sad eyes.

"I can help," she whispered as she stepped forward and Anne scrambled back.

"No, stay away from me!" she shrieked.

"Trust me, I can help you control this kind of magic," Lucrecia cooed "My son can help too…"

"This is what your son did to me!" Anne screamed as her pupils became slits and the whites of her eyes turned yellow.

Lucrecia stumbled back with wide eyes.

"You claim to be half Wiccan yet your body can still be used as a host for such powerful magic…" she murmured then smiled faintly "Must be the Valentine blood."

Anne just barely felt her canines extending to the point that she felt them poke out from between her lips. She glowered at the woman who smiled a little bit more.

"He reacted similarly to the Chaos as well," she whispered to herself "Sephiroth must have put some into you with some of his magic."

She knelt in front of the demonic looking girl and reached out slowly.

"I can help you control it," she soothed "Just open yourself to me, trust me."

"Stay away!" Anne screamed at her, her voice distorting.

Then Anne saw red and arms encircled her. She struggled and resisted at first before warmth flooded through her body. She paused, her eyes slowly turning back to normal as she heard the soothing chant of Wiccan at her ear. She shifted her arms to look for the source of her comfort and eventually brought her trembling arms around a warm body that cradled her tenderly to its chest.

"You…!"

"Be gone, Lucrecia," a low voice commanded.

Anne clutched onto this person desperately, whimpering and seeking comfort from the caresses that she received. Suddenly the tension in the air seemed to lift and Anne dared to open her eyes to look up at the man who held her tightly in his arms. He gazed down at her with soft red eyes and cupped her cheeks.

"Anne, stay with me, breathe," he whispered "Think about Tifa, think about your hometown, just focus on positive thoughts."

Anne stared up at him, taking deep breaths and thinking back to her studies at home. Her breath hitched as she began sobbing into his chest.

"I want to go home," she whimpered "I want to go back to Tifa but he'll come after me!"

"He can't," Vincent whispered as he rubbed her back "No, Rosso's curse bounds him and his servants apart from three to the castle."

Anne looked up at him.

"They're not very intelligent, a smart young woman like yourself can outsmart them easily," he said quickly.

"Even if I could leave, I'll have to go back to hiding my magic and now with this…"

Anne lifted her hands and dark energy materialised between them. Vincent grimaced.

"Anne, your body isn't…foreign to accommodating dark magic," he said as he enclosed his hands over hers, dispersing the magic "Your grandfather and mother had it too but compared to the dark magic I have in my body, the dark magic in them was diluted. Your magic core is weak because of your grandmother's magic core contradicting your grandfather's and the fact that your mother chose that human for a partner…"

"Leave father alone," Anne grumbled and winced as her eyes turned into demonic slits for a brief moment and Vincent quickly waved the magic away.

"My apologies, I never approved of him," he grumbled then cleared his throat "I passed away before their wedding. But as I was saying, your body did host dark energy from when you were born and it lingered with your Wiccan practice over the years. Tifa can wield magic however with the lack of practice, the darkness within her faded so don't worry about her. The darkness in your core was very well concealed, however when Sephiroth transferred his magic into you, the darkness inside you increased and while you struggle with it, you haven't perished as others would have."

He placed a hand over the side of her head to cradle it close to him. His red cloak around Anne soothed her as they sat in the darkness, just waiting for Anne to calm down. Anne played with her fingers thoughtfully as Vincent rocked her gently.

"You need to find Rosso," Vincent urged "She'll get you home safe."

"She scares me," Anne confessed meekly and Vincent sighed.

"True, you'll have to act wisely around her but she'll help you get out of there."

Anne began fiddling with his cloak.

"She wears your cloak."

"I gave it to her to keep her warm as she escaped the castle," Vincent murmured "I'm disappointed with how she has developed…"

"Wait, you knew her all those years ago?"

Anne pushed a little distance between them and stared up at him.

"How old is she?!" she exclaimed "And how is she so young?!"

"Stregherians are best known for developing their elixirs of youth," Vincent explained "Knowing Rosso, she waited for the perfect opportunity for revenge as opposed to trying to at least secure a family to continue her bloodline."

He gritted his jaw.

"I suppose she'll assume she'll be at peace when the curse takes a full hold on Sephiroth," he murmured.

Anne blinked in surprise. It wasn't news to her that the king was cursed but Vincent's tone suggested that Rosso had something to do with the curse. Wait, he mentioned that the curse was Rosso's earlier, didn't he? She opened her mouth to question but Vincent's image flickered. Anne gave him a pleading look and he returned it with a sombre one.

"You're never alone," he said "I can't do much but I will do my best to guide you."

"No, wait!"

Vincent faded away as Anne began to feel dizzy.

* * *

Anne woke with a sudden jolt, her waist wrapped by tails and her head cushioned on soft, silky silver fur. She looked up in terror at the slumbering king and looked down at the tails wrapped securely around her waist. Like she belonged to him. With a sudden surge of disgust and hatred, she raised her hands and shoved the tails off her. Sephiroth snorted as the tails flailed to try and grab a hold of her again but Anne was quick to tear a small cut with her teeth in her hand and hold it up to Sephiroth's cheek.

"_Royk_."

Sephiroth stopped moving for a moment before sighing and falling lax, sprawled out on the cushioned sofa a little less elegantly than before and Anne stumbled to her feet, backing away from the large beast carefully. The pain of drawing blood was less compared to before and the skin was easier to tear compared to the times she had to draw blood on emergency. Anne stared at the cut on her hand and her breath hitched as it quickly healed herself. Dread crawled up her back, she was still not used to accommodating so much magic. At the thought books began falling from the shelves and she backed away in terror.

"No, no, no, stop, please!"

She gasped as she backed into something and turned to see the window doors that made up the wall facing the gardens. She took one good look at her reflection and managed to stifle her scream. She saw her eyes were like a demon's almost. Yellow for the whites and her pupils were slits. And she had fangs! White, sharp fangs poking out of her lips as she found the answer to why it had been easier than usual to draw blood. The lack of pain and being energy being drained was probably due to the dark magic as well. Anne slowly backed away from the window, her hands trembling. She was a monster, she was no different than the king behind her.

_"Think positive thoughts, Anne. Don't let the pessimism get to you."_

Anne took in a deep breath as books and papers kept flying off the shelves and she squeezed her eyes tight.

"Positive, positive, positive…" she chanted whilst clenching her fists.

She took in another deep breath and began falling into a steady meditation to control her thoughts as well as her breathing. It took a while until she realised that books were no longer sailing across the room and peeked one eye open to see the calm setting of the now very messy library. She turned to open the window door and staggered out, sighing as she took in a deep breath of fresh air. A chilly autumn breeze passed by but she shook it off, hitching her skirt to go down the steps to walk her bare feet on the pleasantly cool grass.

She navigated her way around the flowerbeds, calming her head a bit more as she took in the different scents of the flowers planted in the beds. She let a smile cross her face as she let the wind brush her hair back and she managed to find the black fencing around the gardens. She stared into the dark woods before swallowing softly.

"R-Rosso?" she called out "Rosso? Are you out there?"

She yelped as a figure dropped down and landed in front of her, on the other side of the fence.

"You called?" she purred as her painted lips lifted into a smile.

Anne swallowed uneasily as she stared at Vincent's cloak before taking a deep breath.

"It seems I need help in escaping here," she said and Rosso smiled wider.

"You look as if you've suffered," she said as she drew closer to the fence "You poor, poor dear, has he hurt you?"

"Well…" Anne frowned in thought.

"Of course he did, look!"

Anne jumped as Rosso's hand reached through the gaps of the black bars and cupped her cheek. She tutted as she stroked the scar under her eye.

"Such a horrible creature to mar such a beautiful, beautiful face."

Anne suddenly felt her body surge with disgust and anger at the b word and she inadvertently pulled her lips back to expose her growing fangs at Rosso. Rosso blinked in surprise and before she could speak or Anne could let out a snarl, a roar made itself heard from the castle. And in a flash, Anne's deformed eyes turned back to normal as her fangs retracted, fear clear on her face. She gasped as a paw grabbed her and pulled her into a hard furry chest whilst the other paw slammed itself on the fence, black nails barely touching the Stregherian. Rosso simply smirked up at Sephiroth who snarled, gripping Anne so tightly that she barely let out a puff of breath to voice her pain.

"Don't touch her," he snarled as Anne's head swayed from side to side from the lack of oxygen.

Rosso simply lifted her nose at him before disappearing back into the woods. Anne retched from the sudden motion of Sephiroth lifting her up as he stormed back to the castle. She flopped onto the sofa as he placed her down and closed the door, curtains sliding across to completely block the view of the garden. Candles were lit from the walls as Sephiroth loomed over the coughing Wiccan, snarling unpleasantly.

"You," he said as Anne stared up at him in horror "will never set foot out of the castle unsupervised."

Anne dropped her jaw to speak but was cut off by another snarl.

"You will _not _make contact with that deceitful whore, you will _not _attempt to leave the castle and I _forbid _you to go anywhere within the castle without notifying anyone else."

Anne flattened herself into the cushions as he came so close that she swore she saw his eyes glowing as he stared her down.

"Nor will you use magic on me without my permission, draw blood without your knife or even try to use spells or rituals that will cause damage to the castle or the staff."

Anne let out a soft puff of a gasp as Sephiroth held her down so she wouldn't get up.

"And you _will _obey my every word without question," he whispered venomously "That was your promise. You gave yourself to me."

Anne's eyes widened as tears trailed down her face.

"Ah…" she whimpered and whined in pain as Sephiroth pressed down harder.

"Baindo!"

Anne jerked in alarm as silver cords strapped her down onto the sofa and Sephiroth pulled away. He looked over to the portrait of his mother which had been slashed from Anne's uncontrollable magic. He glared down at her once more before storming out of the library, doors slamming. Anne hissed as the cords burned her with every move so she eventually resigned herself to lying completely still on the sofa, glaring up at the ceiling with tear filled eyes.


	17. Chapter 18

"That's a huge barrier."

"Mmhmm."

"I mean really huge."

"Yep."

"Really, really, _really _huge."

"Zack, we all know how huge the barrier is."

Yuffie, Zack and Aerith stared at the massive seal that was left on the library doors after the king had stormed out and headed towards the kitchen.

"And you sure Anne is still in there?" Yuffie frowned.

"Positive," Aerith nodded and her coyote ears twitched "Oh."

Yuffie and Zack twitched their canine ears and Zack flattened his.

"Yeah, you can hear her crying."

"Damn," Yuffie twisted her lips "Windows are sealed too?"

"Yes," Aerith nodded.

Yuffie hummed as she twitched her nose which caused her to grimace more.

"She's bound by magic," she informed them.

"Baundo or Baindo?"

"Baindo."

Aerith hissed as Zack stared at them with a confused frown.

"What's the difference?" he asked.

"Baundo is just a quick binding spell which you might use to stop your friend from starting a fight," Yuffie said as she waved her hand so some rune stones would float down towards her "Baindo is a more harmful and restricting spell that you would use to hold a murderer in place during a trial."

"Aw, poor Anne," Zack whined.

"I'll kill that son of a bitch!"

Zack jumped as Aerith went into a full on rage mode which rarely happened. He grabbed her arms to stop her storming down the corridor and possibly get killed by their king.

"How dare he treat a woman with such disrespect and a girl of nineteen years of age no less!" she shrieked as Zack dug his heels into the carpet to try and keep her in one place "She's supposed to be helping him!"

"Hey, hey, calm down, Rith," Yuffie sighed as she took a rune stone "I'll get her out, just watch."

"Have you ever tried to counteract His Majesty's magic before?" Zack asked with an alarmed look.

"Nah but I'm a ninja! I can break his stupid barrier, just watch!"

Yuffie stepped back as Zack and Aerith shuffled to the opposite side of the corridor to watch. She bounced on her toes, held her selected rune stone up and smirked.

"Kyanseru!"

The stone glowed white and she hurled it at the barrier. It struck the barrier, sending bolts of energy out to strike everywhere but Yuffie until it was shot straight back at her and hit her on the forehead which knocked her out. Zack and Aerith rolled their eyes as her rune stones fell onto the floor.

"No-one could ever dream of counteracting his dark magic," Aerith muttered sullenly.

A roar shook the area and they watched Sephiroth step around the corner, a pot of purple substance in his hand and a ladle and a glass in the other.

"Yuffie did it! It was all Yuffie!" Zack exclaimed immediately whilst pointing to the pile of rune stones that was Yuffie.

He held his breath as Sephiroth looked them up and down before staring at Yuffie. He sneered before entering through doors, leaving the barrier intact. Zack sighed in relief as Aerith frowned.

"She won't be able to break the curse like this," she said "What are we to do?"

"Find the blonde swordsman for Round Two?" Zack suggested and ducked as Aerith swung at him.

"We need her to be here to be able to break the curse, dimwit," she sighed.

* * *

"Kyanseru."

Anne let out a shuddering sigh of relief as the burning ropes left her and she sat up, tenderly massaging the marks on her skin. She hissed as a hairy paw grabbed her arm.

"Iyasu."

Anne sniffed and rubbed her eyes as Sephiroth's magic coursed through her body to heal the burns on her arms and mended her dress. She shifted uncertainly as Sephiroth dipped the ladle into the pot and filled the glass.

"Drink," he grumbled before walking down the aisles.

Anne picked the glass up and stared at the bubbling goo inside. She wrinkled her nose at the smell but pressed her lips to the glass and began drinking the thick but surprisingly sweet liquid. She began coughing after the third gulp, having to place the glass down for a moment as she struggled to swallow the potion. She began retching as her stomach began churning at the foreign concoction and gasped as the glass was pressed to her hands.

"Drink it all, you'll have to drink a glass at every hour during the day."

Anne coughed a couple more times before taking the glass, taking a deep breath and chugged down the rest of the drink. She spluttered as it stuck to her throat and to the roof of her mouth. Sephiroth took the glass away as she hunched over, hand over her mouth to stop it from spilling out. She kept trying to swallow, her tongue moving around to try and scoop most of it out of where it stuck to her gums, teeth and anywhere else. A loud thud in front of her made her lift her head and she was faced with a large leather-bound book.

"Read," grunted the king as he curled around behind her, tails wrapping around her midsection "It's about containing and controlling magic."

Anne reached out with trembling hands and undid the latch. She froze as the tails tensed, as if preparing to pull her into the large fox behind her. She grimaced as she opened and lifted the book onto her lap then just as she predicted, Sephiroth pulled her into his warm silver fur and she began reading.

* * *

Cloud stared at the gloves Rosso had given him, looking at the crystals embedded in them in particular.

"Green heals you, red is fire, blue is ice," she said as she fitted more crystals into his sword "Yellow is electricity and brown is earth."

"Is this safe?" Cloud asked warily.

"You claim to be a Strife, don't you?" Rosso gave him an encouraging smile "Your family bloodline specialise with these, you'll be fine."

"I've never used magic before, what if I harm myself?" Cloud frowned.

"Use the healing crystal, it'll be fine," Rosso shrugged "You want to save your future sister-in-law, right?"

"She seems to want to stay there," Cloud frowned uncertainly.

"She's possessed, she'll say anything to convince you that she's not in danger," Rosso said dismissively "You may need to knock her out if she starts fighting you."

"Why would she? Anne could never harm a fly."

"She's possessed," Rosso repeated "She doesn't know what she's doing, remember that."

Cloud swallowed and nodded to himself.

"Right, I'll bring her out for sure this time."

* * *

Anne spluttered as she struggled to swallow the liquid exactly one hour after she had swallowed down the potion before. She gasped as she cupped her hand under her chin to catch the excess goo, absently noticing Sephiroth stand behind her.

"Stay here, I'll be back soon. Keep reading."

Anne watched, not being able to open her mouth to speak as she kept catching little droplets in her hands whilst Sephiroth strode through the doors. She coughed again, groaning in disgust as more goo spurted out from between her lips. She got up and headed to the cracked mirror down one of the aisles. She licked her lips as she saw her dress wasn't stained with the purple substance. Nodding to herself, she licked her hands clean and sighed, flicking off the excess that got stuck between the creases in her fingers. She scrutinized her appearance, brushing a delicate finger over the scar and flinching as she felt a tinge of some sort of emotion, it felt a little positive but it was too obscure to determine what kind of emotion it was. All Anne was certain about was that it came from Sephiroth, not her. She could feel through the scar about his emotions as he could feel through it about hers. She took relief in the information that it wasn't a one way thing. She looked back at her cracked reflection and pressed a hand to her cheek where Rosso's hand had been.

_"Such a horrible creature to mar such a beautiful, beautiful face."_

_"The king enjoys being surrounded by beautiful things."_

_"Anne, think about it. Being together in our little cabin in the woods, I bring in a nice stag for you to cook and play with our beautiful children."_

Beauty, beauty, beauty, no-one ever judged her for who she was. Anne cupped her face, her pupils slowly becoming slits as she breathed heavily. She didn't want this face, she just wanted to tear it off and mash it into pieces of skin confetti. She snarled, her chest heaving up and down, her emotions going haywire and her body began to morph…

Aerith swayed on the spot after she healed Luxiere from a thunder spell from the blonde swordsman who was just around the corner, fighting Sephiroth and Zack. Sephiroth roared as he was impaled by the fire imbued sword and swiped at him, only able to snip a few blonde spikes off. Zack staggered from his hip wound as Cid skidded around the corner with bottles in his arms.

"I got 'em, yer Majesty!" he said and Sephiroth hissed as the sword was yanked out of him and the blonde swordsman retreated a couple of steps to heal himself.

Sephiroth took the top bottle and threw it to Zack who barely caught it.

"Drink this and careful with those!"

Cid jumped at Sephiroth's sharp command whilst Zack uncorked the bottle and took a deep swig. Sephiroth grunted softly as something disturbed his magic somewhere in the castle but shook it off, bracing his paw. Zack's body began to glow golden as he jumped with his good leg and landed poised against Sephiroth's paw before being launched at the swordsman. He quickly lifted his sword up and Zack collided into it, energy sparking out as he tried to push the swordsman over.

"So, um, what's your name?" Zack grinned in a friendly manner.

All he got was a raised eyebrow before he was sent hurtling through the window and into Angeal's flowerbeds. Sephiroth roared as the blonde swordsman saw him charging towards him at the last minute and retreated to the lobby. As he turned to prepare a spell, he was interrupted when a massive paw hit him across the abdomen. He cried out in pain as cloth, skin and muscle tore with the movement of the black claws as he was flew across the lobby, crashing into one of the pillars. Sephiroth couldn't help but grin in satisfaction as his prey writhed in agony, his claws sparking with magic after inflicting him with a stinging spell.

"I told you to not come here again," he said "Now you will perish!"

He opened his maws to roar his victory but was beaten to it by a smaller, angrier roar. He froze on the spot, his paw hovering above his head then snapped his head towards the doors as he heard the frenzied, heavy footprints rapidly approaching them. His eyes widened in shock as a horned purple beast with long white hair and clothed in a torn blue skirt smashed its way through the doors and let out another roar, designed to strike fear.

"Galian Beast…" he murmured in disbelief "Anne!"

He didn't have time to react as the creature, smaller but quicker and nimbler, smashed into him and sent him across the room with unrestrained power. The castle shook as Sephiroth left a massive crater in the corner. Cid dropped the bottles in his arms carelessly at the same time he dropped his jaw at the scene before him.

"Shiva's tits, she's gone from innocent little girl to scary monstrous fiend in under twenty four hours," he grumbled as he stepped back nervously as her red gaze slid over to him.

Anne growled as she stalked towards Cloud and nosed him with a whine. She snarled at Sephiroth who twitched and her eyes glowed brightly, making red ribbons bind and burn him to one spot. Her head went back to the retreating swordsman and she whined again, nudging him reassuringly before heaving him over her shoulder. She took his sword and galloped out into the courtyard, raising the sword at the three canines that stepped out of their kennels warily. She opened the gates and paused warily, whining again. She sat Cloud down with his sword and crouched before him, pressing a clawed hand to his wounds. She suddenly froze and backed away, staring at her claws in horror. Cloud grunted as he fell backwards.

"I have you."

Anne looked up as Rosso caught Cloud and stared at her with a shocked expression.

"You truly are a Valentine," she whispered and smiled "Come, let's go."

Anne stumbled away from them and fell onto her side, whining in discomfort. Rosso's lips twitched into a sneer as she was about to lie Cloud down to grab her but was halted as a singed cursed king flew across the courtyard and landed above Anne, snarling at her. Rosso narrowed her eyes at him before looking at Anne.

"I'll make sure he makes it back home safe," she said before ushering a Chocobo over to help Cloud onto and glanced up at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth settled around Anne's quivering form, nosing her white hair and hugging her tightly with his tails, glowering at her with one eye. Rosso simply smirked before leading the Chocobo away. Anne's eyes rolled back as her hair began turning black and her body shrunk. Sephiroth caught her in his paws as he saw that all was left of her dress was a stretched out skirt that barely fit around her hips. He carefully carried her so she was covered by his paws and went back inside to be faced with an angry Aerith.

"Put her down," she said sternly.

"Don't order me around, wench," Sephiroth snarled.

"You should…listen to her…"

A dirt covered Zack stumbled in and stood in between them.

"Just…give her some space, Your Majesty," he mumbled as he quivered under the intense green gaze.

"We're all in agreement with this one," Cid stepped up with his tail tucked between his legs.

Luxiere and Kunsel nodded from behind him and Sephiroth growled.

"Sephiroth Crescent!"

Sephiroth snapped his head up to meet the furious gaze of Genesis who was still looking bruised and battered from yesterday.

"Your mother died because of the hundreds she slaughtered and you're lucky to get away with a curse which affected all of us!" he barked "We have a limited amount of time and it's not as much as you think! Don't make it until she breaks it at the last minute! You used to rule a wonderful kingdom and now look at it!"

Sephiroth turned his head slightly to look at the ruined town that surrounded the castle.

"Innocent people who trusted you died!" Genesis barked.

"She is our only chance," Aerith said as she dared to take another step towards Sephiroth.

"She won't be able to break it if you just keep locking her up, keeping her strapped to you at all times and abusing her," Cid nodded.

Sephiroth scanned the band of servants warily before dropping to all fours and handing Anne reluctantly over to Aerith who scurried away to Anne's room to get her clothed and in bed. Zack was helped by Kunsel and Luxiere to get healed, Cid retreated to the kitchen with the bottles and Genesis half stormed, half limped back to Angeal's room for some more cuddling. Leaving the king by himself, mulling over his past actions over the week. He let out a whine and similar to what a spoilt child would do, he sulked.


	18. Chapter 19

"Tifa, please!" Elena hushed the martial artist as she stumbled into the bar.

"Please, we have to save Anne!" she whimpered whilst leaning on the blonde baker for support.

"Tifa, hun, we're sorry Anne ran away but there's not much we can do," Elena shrugged helplessly.

"She didn't run away, she was kidnapped!" Tifa protested as she shoved Elena weakly.

"What's the difference?" Weiss asked bitterly as he and Nero sat at their usual table, rotating his beer bottle by the neck idly "She's gone and let her remain gone."

"Weiss," Nero hissed as Tifa tried to lunge for him but was held back.

"Your sister has a screw loose in that brain of hers," Weiss sneered at Tifa who glared at him furiously "Neither of us can take another rejection, it's over! If she wants to become some senile old spinster then so be it!"

Nero took the bottle away from his drunk brother and set it aside.

"Please, you haven't lost interest in her," Tifa pleaded as she flopped onto the seat by Nero "You have to help me get her back."

Nero took a sharp breath in as he sat back with his lips twisted thoughtfully.

"Even if I haven't given up," he started whilst placing his empty bottle down "Tifa, you've come up with this story that a creature, which is mythical and doesn't originate from our myths but from those in the east, injured you then Anne came along and traded places with you so she's in this beast's captivity."

He pulled a sympathetic face.

"If it were true then I can only see us bringing back what's left of her," he said much to the older sister's distress "What's more is that you have little evidence. Yes, you came back with injuries but really, from Dr Hollander's diagnosis, they could have come from anything."

"You need to believe me," Tifa begged "Anne's trapped, all alone, scared and frightened…"

"Do you remember how to get there?"

Tifa opened her mouth then closed it with a sorrowful shake of her head. She burst into tears as she slumped against the table and Nero awkwardly extended a hand to pat her back.

"You said Strife went over to find her, right?" he said as Elena sat beside Tifa, a hand on her arm "He might not be as good as us but for you, he'd do anything, right?"

Tifa sobbed and sniffed back her tears, whimpering and shivering. She nodded slowly and coughed.

"Cloud…"

* * *

"Tifa…?"

Rosso sighed as Cloud began going through a delirious stage after she bandaged and treated his wounds. The Chocobo began running off as she mounted Duke. Duke ruffled his feathers and crooned as Rosso petted him dotingly.

"Let's go, time to see the other Valentine child."

Duke squawked, ruffling his feathers once more before following Cloud on his Chocobo closely. Rosso glanced at the cursed kingdom with a slight sneer.

"This battle you may have won," she murmured "But the war is far from over."

* * *

Sephiroth did not like this situation one bit. He remained on his balcony, front paws on the stone railing, nose high in the air. Rosso's scent was fainter than usual, she'd left the kingdom. He narrowed his eyes. He didn't like it. It was suspicious, very, very suspicious. Had she really gone to escort the blonde swordsman back to his village? It was the first time in sixty years since she'd left the kingdom and it made Sephiroth feel paranoid and a little stir crazy. He dropped down and retreated into his room as rain began spitting down. He curled up in his pile of cushions and blankets miserably, closing his eyes to focus on Anne.

He felt a sort of serenity from the slumbering Wiccan, mixed in with some stress so she was probably having a nightmare of sorts. He shifted a bit before opening his eyes, stretching his aura out to determine everyone's positions. Zack and Aerith were in their room, Genesis and Angeal were also together, Cid was in his room, Yuffie down her usual corridor with her rune stones no doubt…and Kunsel and Luxiere are on patrol. With an annoyed growl he sat up and edged forward to the door and flattened himself down on the floor.

Sephiroth remembered Zack's words about giving the young Wiccan space. Well…he was just going to go into her room, he wasn't going to go on her bed to sleep around her. Maybe, he'd just lie alongside her bed, he'd be close enough to feel her magic aura. A soft shudder went through the large silver fox's body at the thought of Anne's untamed, pure and quaint aura. He shuffled over to the door and focused on Luxiere and Kunsel's positions. He waited for a while before padding out and muting his aura whilst trying to make his way to Anne's room as quickly and quietly as possible. Pretty tricky when he was about two hundred pounds of muscle, maybe more. But he somehow managed to sneak into the young Wiccan's room.

Anne was lying in the bed with a serene look, if her brows weren't furrowed. Sephiroth lay himself down at her bedside and inched forward to press his nose against the side of her head. Anne slowly let out a soft sigh, the stress leaving her body as Sephiroth lay his head down between his paws, curling up and closing his eyes, falling asleep easily with Anne's aura circling him.

* * *

"Do you know just how irresponsible it is to just transform like that without training?!"

Boy, this was taking Anne back, getting into a little trouble with her magic and have someone lecture her about it. Anne sighed as Vincent stormed past her in his pacing, summoning a small chair and a table for her to sit and slump on like a spoilt child. He summoned a chair for himself and sat opposite her, staring her down furiously.

"You could have killed yourself!" he barked as Anne met his gaze "Your core could have overpowered, you could have paralysed yourself!"

"I'm sorry," Anne muttered.

"Sorry?!" Vincent boomed and Anne shrunk back "Sorry doesn't fix the fact that you lost control of your emotions, after I _told _and _warned _you, then transformed into Galian Beast, which your body can't even handle properly yet, and went about on a rampage!"

"No-one got hurt?" she squeaked.

"YOU GOT HURT!"

Anne hunched her shoulders and sank a little into the chair as Vincent glared down at her. Her ancestor took in a soft breath and sat back to pinch his nose.

"I'm not angry, I just care," he murmured "I've seen how much you've devoted yourself to magic, even after you saw your mother's death, and you deserve some guidance with your development."

Anne shifted in her seat as Vincent sat back with a tired sigh.

"Really, the first descendent I take charge of and she's the most immature…"

"Of course I'm immature with this kind of magic, isn't everyone at the beginning?" Anne pouted.

"Then act mature, sit up and get rid of that pout."

Anne sat up and dropped her pout at his command. Vincent leaned forward a bit before straightening up as a presence made itself known. Anne hunched suddenly and picked up her legs to hug her knees to her chest as Vincent turned his head to see a young man with long silver hair and a single black wing, dressed in nothing but some black trousers. He narrowed his green eyes at the deceased briefly before summoning an armchair to sit and watch peacefully in. Vincent let out a puff of air sharply before reaching out to place his hand on Anne's head.

"He's only watching, don't worry," he soothed and Anne lifted her head a little.

Anne glanced at the newcomer and whined, making Vincent go round to her side and cover her with his cloak. Serenity fell over her as she felt the red fabric around her and she hugged him tightly. Vincent gave another glance to the one winged man and rubbed her shoulder soothingly.

"Anne, as much as the idea doesn't bring pleasure to either of us, you will need to drink the potion that Sephiroth prepared sixteen times a day for three days."

"Do you know how hard it is to swallow?" Anne asked moodily.

"Yes, his alchemy skills are questionable," Vincent agreed as the one winged man glared at him "But I'm sure his library will have the recipe you'll need, you can make it yourself."

Anne nodded to herself as Vincent covered her eyes.

"Now relax, and remember, no experimenting with transformation."

* * *

Anne's eyes fluttered opened and she felt a familiar aura wrapped around her body. She sat up, holding her head as pain flared through her brain and glanced at Sephiroth who was still asleep beside her bed. She carefully sidled out from the other side of the bed and glanced at the mint green nightdress she wore, blushing when she realised what happened to the other dress. She shook her head as she got up and walked towards her book and knife. As she collected the items, she stared at the knife thoughtfully with a frown.

_"No experimenting!"_

Anne pouted as she shrugged, put and lit a candle in the candleholder from the wardrobe and carefully tiptoed out of the bedroom.

* * *

Five minutes later, Sephiroth perked up out from his sleep.

"Someone's in my library," he said and glanced at the bed, narrowing his eyes.

He got up and scanned the castle for auras, satisfied that Luxiere and Kunsel had fallen asleep before carefully making his way to the library. He hid in the shadows whilst observing Anne leaf through the books, her finger bleeding as books with a candle on top hovered beside her. She had a stack of about five books so far and Sephiroth recognised them to be about the dark energy of Chaos, one of them actually written by his mother. He tilted his head as he muttered a cloaking spell to conceal himself further.

Anne turned her head after it finished, most likely feeling a little more sensitive to magic and took three more books before rushing out of the library, glancing over her shoulder every minute. Sephiroth grimaced before following her closely.

* * *

Angeal woke and sat up, making Genesis roll off the bed.

"Someone's in the kitchen," he said and Genesis moaned when he used a time spell to check what time it was.

"Angeal, it's three o'clock in the morning, no-one's in the kitchen," he whined.

"There's someone in the kitchen," Angeal insisted and hissed as he moved and remembered how much in pain he was.

"No, Angeal, darling, trust me," Genesis soothed as he eased Angeal back into the pillows "There's no-one in the kitchen, I promise you."

"Do you remember the last time you said that to me?" Angeal asked.

Genesis hesitated a bit before nodding.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Genesis nodded again with a forlorn look.

"And do you remember how long it took for your hair to grow back?"

Genesis pouted and hunched his shoulders.

"But it's three o'clock in the morning…"

Angeal grunted again as he attempted to get up and Genesis flailed around to push him back down into the bed and rush out to check the kitchen.

"Really," he grumbled as he stormed down the corridor "Somebody in the kitchen at this ungodly hour? I'm going to kill them if they really are…"

He paused by the door to the kitchen, his eyes wide when he saw Anne up and about whilst being followed by a floating candle in its holder. He frowned curiously and was about to step in when a massive paw suddenly grabbed him. He yelped after being pulled through what he recognised to be a cloaking spell and turned to see Sephiroth glaring down at him. He then glared back.

"You're supposed to give her some space!" he hissed.

"I am, I'm just making sure she doesn't do anything stupid or rash," Sephiroth whispered "…Or get kidnapped."

"She isn't going to get kidnapped, especially at this time!" Genesis whispered heatedly "Rosso has never set foot in this castle since she cursed us!"

"I know and she's out of the kingdom but it doesn't settle my worries," Sephiroth grumbled.

"She's out of the kingdom?!" Genesis exclaimed and was hushed as Anne turned her head with a fearful look, holding up the kitchen knife in her hand.

The Wiccan scanned where they were hidden with her eyes before resuming chopping up the ingredients, holding a finger up to a page of a book to follow the instructions. Genesis waited for a minute before lowering his voice.

"If she's out of the kingdom then there's nothing to worry about."

"Supposing she transforms into Galian Beast again?" Sephiroth growled "I need to be there to make sure she doesn't lose her senses."

"She what?"

Sephiroth sighed irritably.

"You weren't around but she transformed yesterday," he mumbled as Genesis stared at Anne with wide eyes and his jaw dropped "Packed a powerful punch but she nearly gave herself a fatal injury or worse."

"That fragile, little flower of a Wiccan turned into a massive, hideous monster?" he whispered questioningly whilst pointing to Anne "How?"

"Valentine blood and her core absorbed more Chaos than I realised."

Genesis flopped to his knees and stared at Anne some more whilst she mixed the bubbling violet broth in the saucepan.

"…We should have just kept the sister," he said "She's more work than I anticipated."

"It's my fault."

Genesis watched Sephiroth lie down and gaze at Anne sombrely.

"I should have realised that despite her half-blood status…she still is a Valentine."

Anne coughed after she drank a portion of the potion but swallowed it easier.

"Hm, I wonder what he did to make it impossible to drink," she murmured before cutting her palm with the dagger and levitating the books and the pot of purple liquid.

She hummed merrily as cushions joined the queue to follow her out of the kitchen whilst Sephiroth glared at her back. Genesis snorted before leaving the cloaking spell.

"I'm going to go back to Angeal," he announced "Don't burn the castle down."

Sephiroth snarled at him as he turned into his red fox form and sauntered off.

* * *

The cushions fell around Anne as she carefully placed the books and candle down. She sliced her palm for a quick duplication spell so she was surrounded by several candles in the large ballroom that she had picked for her place to study. She took the first book and fell back into the plethora of cushions she had collected with a soft thwump, opening and reading it. Three chapters into it and she was already fingering her dagger.

_"No experimenting."_

"But I wanna…" Anne whined.

_"Don't talk to me in that tone."_

"…Let's call it testing."

_"You're not supervised."_

"…You're supervising me right now."

_"I don't have a corporeal form, so no experimenting or testing!"_

"…What if I-"

_"Annabelle Susanna Lockhart, I said no experimenting or testing!"_

Anne whined as she rolled around for a bit, pouting as she eventually flopped onto her front, looking out at the rain.

"What about-"

_"No."_

"But I-"

_"No."_

"Supposing-"

_"No."_

"Let's say-"

_"No."_

"Just think-"

_"No."_

"If I just-"

_"No."_

"I want a different ancestor training me," Anne sulked.

_"Believe me, if it were possible it would be done in a heartbeat."_

Anne stood suddenly with a snap of her fingers.

"What are you going to do if I disobey you though?" she smirked.

_"Anne, don't you dare!"_

"You said it yourself, you have no corporeal form to stop me."

_"Nor can I save you!"_

"I'll just try this little thing…"

Anne grabbed her Book of Shadows and began drawing a pentagram on the floor with her blood, grabbing candles to circle it.

* * *

If Sephiroth didn't know any better about the situation, he'd assume Anne was insane. It was interesting to watch her argue with thin air which he assumed was an ancestor that was training her. He had read about it somewhere that to preserve the line of magic, ancestors can appear to their descendants if they're the last in the line and untrained. It confused Sephiroth briefly because Anne had that other girl as an older sister, however remembered that she didn't use any magic and therefore that would make Anne the last of the Valentine line technically.

Sephiroth watched as Anne sliced a lock of hair off and placed it in the centre of the pentagram. She held her Book of Shadows up with a confident smirk.

"_Bluten, fleysha, plikatan!_"

Sephiroth's ears pricked up as the pentagram was engulfed with light and a figure rose from the centre where Anne's lock of hair was. He closed his eyes briefly as the whole room was engulfed in light before it died down and an almost exact nude replica of Anne stared back at Anne. The only difference other than her lack of clothing was that she had a V painted on her forehead, most likely to stand for Valentine.

"I did it!" Anne shrieked in delight and Sephiroth flattened his ears with an irritated whine "I made a clone, I made a clone, in your face, Tifa!"

She hesitated for a moment and bowed her head with a soft sigh.

"Huh…"

Her clone remained stationary as Anne had a forlorn moment before shaking her head.

"Anyway, time for…trialling!"

She grinned happily as she held her hands out and her clone took them, being led out of the circle and to a remote part of the room. Sephiroth perked his head up as he watched Anne close her eyes and let out a soft sigh. He jumped to his feet as her arms turned into those of Galian Beast's and Anne grinned.

"Knew I could restrain it," she purred in delight and glanced at the potion "I guess I roughly have three quarters of an hour left so let's spar."

Sephiroth braced himself, ready to jump in if he needed to. The Anne clone was handed the Valentine Ritual Dagger and she moved to the other side of the room, similar to how two knights would duel. Anne flexed her monstrous paws before rolling her head from shoulder to shoulder then crouching down, claws unsheathed. The clone placed the blade of the dagger against her palm as they locked gazes. Sephiroth flinched a little as they charged to one another, the clone slicing her palm and sending a whirlwind spell at Anne. Anne blocked and tore apart the spell, inadvertently blowing out a handful of the candles, smiling happily at her paws.

"I could get the hang of this," she sighed as she rolled her head back and forth "Helps if you ignore the origins of the magic."

Clone Anne sliced her palm again and sent a barrage of ice balls which Anne dodged by running away from them then charging towards her clone, paws raised to attack. They hit a barrier, cracking it slightly and Anne's eyes widened at the impact slightly.

"That's a bit much…"

She backed away in alarm as her eyes began turning into demonic slits and her hair began colouring white. She gasped as her whole body began turning purple and she closed her eyes, as if trying to will it away, trying to suppress her emotions. Before she could turn fully, she glanced up at her clone in a panic.

"You need to restrain me!"

In a blink and a slice of Clone Anne's skin, Anne was tied down by black cords in her full Galian Beast form, snarling and struggling. Sephiroth took off his cloaking spell, attracting Clone Anne's attention.

"Kyanseru," he purred softly and she melted into a puddle of blood and hair "Kurin."

The mess was swept clean and Anne roared furiously at him. He dropped down then crouched so he was flat on the floor like her, nudging his nose against hers. Their eyes met and Sephiroth reached out to rest on top of one of Anne's paws.

"Anne, you don't need to be tied down like this," he said calmly "Galian Beast is known for being a berserker, however you can control yourself with some practice."

Anne whined and Sephiroth nosed her again.

"Your version of the potion is more potent than anticipated, you can feel the difference with this transformation compared to the first? You can last much longer like this and we can use this as an opportunity to help you build your stamina and your core. I will stop you if you get out of hand."

Anne shifted as Sephiroth backed away slightly.

"Kyanseru."

The cords snapped and Anne jumped to her feet, her tail waving around as she paced back and forth in agitation. Sephiroth stood and growled playfully, making Anne sit down and look up at him like a little child.

"Kaze."

A brief wind blew across the room, blowing out the rest of the candles.

"Hikari, tama."

Anne perked up as Sephiroth summoned a ball of light which floated a little above the transformed Wiccan. She squirmed and Sephiroth snorted in amusement.

"Enjoy."

The ball began flying around and Anne's claws scrambled against the marble to chase after it around the ballroom. Sephiroth watched as she eagerly jumped, pounced and dashed, lying down as he observed how her nightgown was now just little patches and strips that lay around the floor, she was completely nude in her beast form. With a soft shrug, he shook off his trousers and got up to join in with the chase.

They played until dawn, after Anne climbed up and down Sephiroth for the thirteenth time to play with the unlit chandelier when she lost interest in the ball. As she slid onto the cushions with a yawn, Sephiroth curled around her and she nuzzled him happily. Their tails intertwined, they spooned together in the mess of cushions, torn up and still intact, peace settled between them. Anne fell asleep first, still maintaining her Galian Beast form which stirred worry in Sephiroth. He needed to check the potion she made and probably learn a few things from her. He nosed her head, pulling her white hair back and fell asleep.

* * *

"I told you to not experiment!"

"I'm sorry."

"If Sephiroth hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened!"

Sephiroth smirked as he appeared in Anne's dream, suddenly appearing under the semi-nude Wiccan. He assumed it was Vincent that was standing in front of them, sans cloak because Anne was wearing it to cover herself. Anne jumped in his lap and looked up at him in alarm, pulling the cloak closer. Sephiroth smirked wider as he pulled her closer, meeting Vincent's heated gaze.

"She's in very capable hands," he purred.

Anne was off his lap in a split second and in Vincent's grip. Vincent summoned a dress and handed it to Anne, summoning a background of forests and meadows, untouched by humans.

"Have a normal lucid dream, I'll handle this."

Anne nodded, glancing at Sephiroth before running off into the woods with the cloak and dress. Sephiroth choked as Vincent grabbed him by his throat and held him up.

"I would love nothing more than to drag you down to Hell," he snarled viciously.

Sephiroth gripped his wrist before knocking him down and towering over him, rubbing his throat.

"You're lucky you're dead for touching me, a king, like that," he said venomously.

"Big talk for a king who appears before us with not a stitch on his back."

Vincent stood and met Sephiroth's gaze.

"My great-granddaughter is only here to protect her sister and maybe release you from the curse," he said, glancing behind him briefly to make sure Anne wasn't in earshot.

"She gave herself to me," Sephiroth smirked.

Vincent glared harder before squaring his shoulders. He was about an inch shorter than Sephiroth and the king was very much aware that neither of them could injure on another seriously.

"If she does break the curse, she will be free from you," Vincent stated.

"And if she doesn't?"

There was a crack and Sephiroth saw Vincent's hands flex.

"Knowing Rosso," Vincent started and Sephiroth's eyes hardened "the curse will reduce you to nothing but a mindless beast and my descendent will escape nonetheless. Either way, at the end of these last few months, she's away from you and that's alright in my book."

Sephiroth's wrist was caught instantly and it was the deceased Wiccan's turn to smirk.

"She's just another little trophy to you," he said "Your mother was like that."

He released Sephiroth's wrist and turned away. Sephiroth scowled angrily.

"We'll see about that, Valentine."

"Indeed we will," Vincent said as he disappeared into the woods.

Sephiroth sneered before rubbing his wrist.

* * *

It was still pouring with rain the next evening and Tifa was wiping the bar down, just working to take her mind off from Anne and the hideous beast she'd left her with. Weiss was watching his drink for once and Nero was looking a bit tipsy. She smiled to herself, shaking her head. Anne may not like them but they can be fun to be around. Maybe one day she'll realise that.

Suddenly the doors slammed open and it was one of the worst case scenarios that Tifa could have imagined.

"CLOUD!"

Everyone stood as a bleeding Cloud stumbled in and Tifa ran over to him, placing a hand over his wounds.

"Oh Gaia!" she cried as everyone began moving to lie him down onto a table and grab Dr Hollander to take a look at him "Oh, Cloud, oh!"

"Teef…ah…" he groaned as his shirt was taken off to look at the wounds.

"Shit, these wounds!" Nero hissed as Weiss took his shirt off, making a few girls swoon, to press against the wounds "What did this?"

"A Shinto."

Lightning flashed as out from the storm a tall redhead dressed in a tattered scarlet cloak walked in and stood at the foot of the table that Cloud lay on. Tifa glared at her when she recognised who she was.

"Did you do this?" she asked venomously as more shirts were sacrificed to make bandages for Cloud.

"Good Gaia, no," the woman said in her thick accent "No, this was done by the beast that you encountered in that castle. A Shinto."

"No, Shintos don't even exist in our legends, let alone in this land!" Elena protested.

"No, this Shinto with his family existed several decades ago but fell into a curse and was forgotten," the woman explained as Dr Hollander was brought forward with his medical bag "The sole surviving member of the family did this to your young hero when we tried to save Miss Valentine."

"Valentine?" Tifa's brows furrowed at the name "Seems familiar."

"Ah, I keep forgetting," the woman sighed as she shook her head "That was your mother's maiden name I believe. I mean your younger sister, Miss…?"

"Lockhart, is she alright?!" Tifa asked urgently and the woman sighed heavily.

"She's unharmed physically," she nodded "However she's been possessed."

"Possessed?!"

The woman sighed as she drew back, everyone's attention apart from Dr Hollander's on her.

"My name is Rosso and I come in peace," she said calmly "I'm a Stregherian, please remain calm…"

"A magic user?!"

Weiss unsheathed his swords but Nero grabbed him back. Rosso waited for a moment as the majority looked at her warily and smiled warmly.

"You need magic to combat this beast," she said "You'll need my help to rescue the young Lockhart."

"How can we trust you?" Weiss sneered.

Rosso lifted Cloud's sword and showed the magic crystals within.

"Without these, he would surely be dead," she explained and placed it down "We have time, in four months he will turn her into a beast to mate with. I can train you to use magic and how to be responsible with it."

She mounted the table behind her and smirked.

"Magic isn't something to be feared if you use it for good," she said to the sceptical looks "You're saving a poor young girl from being turned into a sex toy for a monster. So, I say to you, who wishes to save her?"

There was a rallying cheer and as Rosso continued her speech, Tifa couldn't help but feel wary of this stranger whilst cradling Cloud's head tenderly.


	19. Chapter 20

Zack woke up with a lazy yawn, stretching out his freshly healed leg and slumped out of bed. He stretched out and sluggishly pulled on some trousers before sauntering out into the corridor, intent to go to the kitchen and make something for breakfast. On the way, he was knocked over by a coyote running down the corridor at seventy miles an hour. He landed heavily on the carpet, staring after the brown blur with a confused frown.

"Aerith?" he called out gently before getting up to chase after her "Aerith, what's the rush?!"

He yelped as he was bowled over again when his fiancée turned sharply around the corner and slammed into him. He flew a few feet away as Aerith stuck her nose to the floor, pacing whilst sniffing around. Zack watched for a few minutes as Aerith flattened her ears.

"Anne's gone," she said as she began pacing around more frantically, trying to pick up a scent "She's not in her room and I can't find her anywhere! I've tried to track her down but His Majesty's scent just keeps covering it up!"

"Have you tried the West Wing?" Zack asked cautiously.

"Oh, really Zack Fair!" Aerith huffed as she morphed into her human form "Like that never occurred to me! I must thank you, my dear, I'm more stupid than I thought!"

Zack flattened his ears and whined which made Aerith sigh and fold her arms.

"I'm sorry, Zack but after all that's happened and I know you keep complimenting my ears, I don't want to turn into a coyote permanently," she said with a forlorn look "Nor can I imagine a Newfoundland and coyote have a glorious wedding that you keep promising me."

"Look, Aerith, we might not have that much time but it's still time," Zack said as he placed a hand on her shoulder "It will take a while for Anne to see the good within him, just let it happen. We can't smother her, like His Majesty we need to just step back and let her adjust so she can approach us. We may be the animal people here but like a baby deer, we need to let her come to us."

"His Majesty isn't stepping back and letting her adjust," Aerith said frostily "He's been wherever she's been, everywhere I've smelt her, he's been right close behind!"

Zack sighed as he sat back with a thoughtful hum.

"OK, you've been looking for Anne but have gotten nowhere," he said calmly "Let's look for His Majesty then. If he is with Anne then we'll find her with him and we know him better which will allow us to have an easier time to find them. His Majesty likes three spots in particular, the West Wing…"

"Been there."

"Queen Lucrecia's library…"

"Been there."

"And the ballroom."

Aerith paused for a brief moment before turning into her coyote form and dashing down the corridor. Zack had a second to react.

"Ah-wha?! Aerith!"

He got up to his feet and began running after her. By the time he stumbled into the ballroom, he was yanked to hide behind one of the pillars that supported the balcony which guests could go up to for a rest and to view the dancing area. He blinked up at her in confusion and she pressed a finger to her lips. He nodded and they both looked around the column in opposite directions. Zack felt his breath leave him at the sweet, serene sight. The morning light was filtering through the windows and bathing the two beasts that lay curled up in the centre of the mess of candles, cushions and feathers. Zack smiled and stepped back into place.

"See, Aerith?" he whispered "It's better."

Aerith glared up at him and he stepped away.

"What?"

"She's transformed again, why?" she whispered "It can't be good for her."

"Yeah, well, maybe that potion there is helping?"

Aerith poked her head out to look before pulling away.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to get a dress for her."

Zack toed one of the mint green patches that littered the room and nodded awkwardly.

"Maybe start making some dresses that will disappear then reappear when she morphs?" he suggested.

"Oh no, she is not going to morph this often," Aerith said with a stern look.

"Look, I can even help with some of the dresses you've already made for her," Zack hunched his shoulders "It would certainly avoid more dresses getting torn up."

Aerith huffed before flouncing off to grab a dress for Anne. Zack smiled before rubbing his growling stomach and sauntering off to the kitchen.

* * *

"There's some-"

"Oh for the love of all things holy, Angeal!" Genesis snarled as he lifted his head up from resting on Angeal's chest to glare at him "It's breakfast time, of course there's someone in the kitchen!"

Angeal stared at him for a few seconds. He smiled and ruffled Genesis's hair, tickling his fox ears.

"I was going to say, there's some freshly baked muffins in the kitchen, most likely Cid's work," he said and Genesis perked up "Shall we have Kunsel fetch some for us?"

"I'll call Luxiere instead, he's more reliable to deliver food," Genesis said eagerly whilst wagging his tail before calling for Luxiere.

* * *

Anne woke up with a furious headache and the feeling that she was exposed. Broken memories filtered through into her brain as her eyes fluttered at the morning light and she moaned, burying her face in her pillow. Wait a minute, pillows weren't hairy. Anne lifted her head and frowned as she saw Sephiroth slumbering beside her and felt nine very furry tails around her very naked hips. Anne looked down at herself. She was naked. Why was she naked?! Why was she naked and sleeping with a cursed king who strapped her down to a sofa, made her drink a sickeningly sweet and thick potion and also put Chaos in her core which made her transform?! Anne sprung up and stumbled back with wide eyes, covering herself as best as she could whilst Sephiroth snarled in his sleep, his tails flailing around to look for the young Wiccan. They eventually settled around a series of cushions and Sephiroth shifted, snorting before going back to sleep soundly.

Anne sighed in relief before turning and spotting a plum coloured dress on a mannequin accompanied with shoes and underwear. She dashed over to get changed, hiding behind a nearby pillar as Sephiroth rolled over, tails pulling the cushions on top of him. His nose twitched before the cushions went flying and he paced around the ballroom, sniffing. He stopped at her pillar and Anne held her breath as he paused in his sniffing. Her heart began thumping erratically as she just saw the tip of his nose from the corner of her eye before it retreated and she heard Sephiroth's heavy footsteps leave the room.

With another sigh of relief, Anne sunk to a sitting position, pressing her hand over her heart to calm it down. She took a couple of deep breaths before standing up shakily. She staggered a bit and filled a cup of the purple potion to drink. She then wandered around the castle for a bit before following the alluring scent of freshly baked muffins to the kitchen.

"Just warn them that they're still hot," Cid said from inside "And if they don't want the tea with them, tell them to put up with it."

A young man with Rottweiler ears and tail came out and he froze when he saw her. Anne jumped a little at his startled look and waved awkwardly.

"Good…morning?" she said.

He didn't make eye contact, just bustled past her with a tray of muffins and tea. Anne watched him with a confused frown and stepped into the kitchen, her stomach rumbling.

"No, Zack, you've had your fair share of muffins so get!" Cid barked as he put in some raw dough in the oven to bake "You're more than welcome to have some goddamn tea though! You ought to drink some more…"

Anne cleared her throat meekly after Cid shut the oven door. Cid turned his head and the toothpick in his mouth fell when he saw her.

"Oh, um…hey, Anne," he said as he shifted awkwardly on the spot "Uh, tea?"

"What kind?"

"Apple and ginger, camomile, cherry, Earl Grey, jasmine, mango, green, red, peach, chai, black, Darjeeling, bubble, iced, lemon, oolong, rooibos, herbal, peppermint, honey, cinnamon, oriental berry…"

"V-Vanilla?" Anne stuttered as her head spun.

"Yep, got that, let me just make a pot."

Anne settled herself down by the table, taking one of the muffins that was warm in the basket in the centre. She bit into it, drumming her fingers on the table as Cid boiled the kettle and placed the ingredients for vanilla tea into the pot. There was an awkward atmosphere between them and Anne didn't like it. She watched Cid as he moved back and forth, finishing the muffin quickly.

"Um, can I have a second muffin?" she asked timidly.

"T-Take as many as ya like," Cid shrugged.

Anne's brows furrowed as she took a second muffin, nodding to say a silent thank you when Cid finished making the tea and placed the pot with a teacup, teaspoon and saucer. He filled the cup before she could do it herself then hastily moved to the kitchen counter where more leftover dough was to be put into the oven to be made into more muffins. Anne didn't like this cold attitude. She didn't know Cid well but this seemed a bit out of character given her first impression on him. Not saying a word about it, Anne picked up the teaspoon on the saucer and stirred her tea.

"I smell muffins!"

"Careful in here, Yuffie!"

Yuffie grinned as she landed in the chair opposite Anne's and grabbed a muffin.

"Heya, beastie," she said which prompted Anne to drop her teaspoon.

"Yuffie, a little sensitivity if ya please!" Cid barked as Yuffie took a large bite out of the muffin.

Anne hid her expression partially with her muffin, staring down into her cup of tea. She saw her reflection as Cid and Yuffie began arguing back and forth. Was she really a beast? What was a beast? Beast is another term for an animal but Anne isn't an animal but she is half human. It didn't make her a beast…but she could turn into one. Anne's stomach clenched as her appetite vanished. From beauty to beast, she wasn't the same girl who had arrived at this castle. So much had changed in such a short amount of time, it just felt like she was trapped in a tornado of drama and magic.

Anne suddenly stood from her place, cutting the argument and jogged out of the kitchen. She hitched her skirt up as she began running down the corridors and into the ballroom. She quickly scooped up her Book of Shadows and ritual knife, kicking aside the cushions. She sliced her palm, squeezing her hand into a fist, making little rivulets of blood squeeze out in between her fingers. She looked at the page she'd selected in the Book of Shadows, her heart thumping as she read the instructions.

"_Anyg_…" she murmured "Bandit!"

Light encompassed the spot in front of her and in a flash, a very disorientated Bandersnatch stood in front of her. She smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks as Bandit sniffed around before facing her fully. He perked up and pounced her, Anne laughing as he licked her face, his tail wagging. Then a sudden yelp cut through the reunion and Anne watched in horror as Bandit flew into the window, shattering it.

"BANDIT!"

Anne brushed past Sephiroth who was over her, a bloody paw frozen in mid-air. She fell to her knees in the mess of glass as she pressed her hands over the wounds.

"Oh, Gaia, Gaia, Gaia!" she shrieked as Bandit whined "Bandit!"

She glared up as Sephiroth approached them slowly.

"I thought it was attacking you," he grunted.

"You idiot!" Anne shrieked at him as the servants began appearing at the door after hearing her scream "Why would I summon a creature to hurt me?!"

Sephiroth faltered as Anne pressed her hands harder onto the wounds, more tears falling onto the injured monster.

"Bandit, stay with me," she whispered hoarsely "I know, boy, it hurts, I know it does, oh Gaia…"

She grabbed Sephiroth's paw when it descended on Bandit, opening her mouth to tell him to leave them but was interrupted by a soft whisper.

"Iyasu."

Anne hiccupped as Bandit's wounds healed and the Bandersnatch jumped to his feet and snarled at him. Anne hugged him tightly, burying her face into his neck.

"Oh, Bandit," she sobbed and Bandit snarled louder "No, boy, now's not the time."

Bandit snorted before lying down and resting his head on her lap. Anne looked up as Sephiroth plopped down to sit before them.

"It can't stay," he said.

"I was going to send him back, I just needed someone to turn to," Anne said bitterly as she cradled Bandit to her.

"There are plenty of others to turn to for comfort," Sephiroth snorted "I don't appreciate you summoning monsters here."

"Bandit would never hurt anyone unless he was protecting me."

"I was protecting you…"

"I don't need the protection!"

"You need it from that!"

"Because Bandit has known me for over a year now and when he was wearing my taming pendant, he always guarded me when I needed to go to danger zones for ingredients for alchemy," Anne growled as she tickled Bandit's ears "Man's best friends are dogs, mine are monsters like Bandit, Max, Torgal and Terry, Crystal and her clan…"

"How many monsters are we talking about here?" Sephiroth asked warily.

"Just a few," Anne mumbled as she kissed Bandit's mane.

"Did your…sister allow this then?"

"Of course not, I had to hide them," Anne sighed "They were my only friends…"

Sephiroth tilted his head curiously before shivering at the wind.

"Come inside," he ordered "I'll allow it to come in too, just step out of the wind."

Anne stood and whistled for Bandit to follow her inside. Sephiroth nudged her towards the doors and avoided a bite from Bandit then glanced at Aerith.

"Fix it and clean this up," he ordered her and met Anne's questioning gaze "In the West Wing, go!"

Anne jumped a bit as she and Bandit dashed out. Sephiroth followed them, glancing at the band of servants once before leaving the ballroom. Zack tilted his head curiously.

"I think they're getting closer," he said brightly as Aerith fixed the window with an annoyed growl.

"Maybe but by this evening they'll be apart once more," she said and grabbed Zack's ear "Come on, I'm not cleaning this up by myself!"

* * *

Sephiroth sat on his pile of pillows and blankets as Anne and Bandit stood before him. He lowered himself down into a lying position, staring at them.

"I don't want conflict," he said firmly.

"I don't want burns all over my body," Anne retorted.

"I healed them, didn't I?" Sephiroth growled.

"The marks are gone but I still remember how much it hurt."

Bandit nosed her hand and she tickled his ears. Sephiroth sighed.

"I apologize," he said reluctantly "I can overreact when I get…worried…"

"It's about the curse."

Sephiroth bristled as he glanced up at her sharply and Anne avoided his gaze.

"I'm a tool for you to use," she said bitterly "Nothing more."

"I can't talk about this but I want to remind you that it doesn't solely affect me."

Anne shifted on the spot as the king sighed.

"Anne, you are no tool," he said and Anne rolled her eyes "You can break the curse if you try, Aerith is convinced that you might be the only one. However, we can't force you. It's all down to you to figure it out and we do have a few months until we're out of time."

"I can't deal with that kind of pressure," Anne said.

"I understand," Sephiroth nodded "I understand from what your ancestor has told me, you grew up in a village with old fashioned values. It is a more patriarchal society than where I grew up in and your personality from what I've seen would have clashed, am I right?"

Anne nodded with a grim look.

"You were only held at face value."

"Please cut to the chase," Anne murmured.

Sephiroth sighed.

"Let me get to know you for who you are," he said "I won't be another man to just see you for your looks."

Anne turned away from him, biting her lip thoughtfully.

"I…uh…"

Sephiroth watched expectantly before Anne gave a tiny nod.

"Can I get to know you…?" she asked.

"Of course," Sephiroth nodded.

Anne stared down at Bandit and hunched her shoulders.

"May I send a letter to my sister?" she asked "Bandit will be sent back to his home and he'll be able to deliver it."

"What will it be about?" Sephiroth asked.

"How I'm doing and to reassure her that everything is fine," Anne murmured.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

"I would prefer it if you didn't mention your transformation or the curse," he said.

"Of course," Anne curtseyed "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"However, I do expect that…thing to be gone by midday," Sephiroth said and Bandit snarled "And you must inform me if you want to summon more monsters, I might kill the next one I see."

"Yes, I understand," Anne nodded.

"…Dismissed, return immediately when you've sent it back."

Anne nodded again before walking out with Bandit. Sephiroth slumped and stared out of his balcony.

"One step at a time," he murmured and sighed "Don't mess it up again…"


	20. Chapter 21

_Tifa,_

_Don't worry about me, I'm alright. I hope you're feeling better, I wish I was there to at least heal your bones; you had quite a few fractures. Did you get back home safe? I bet Dr Hollander was surprised to see you in such a state, he did say that one day you'll regret ever taking up martial arts. Remember when you accidentally kicked him in his face when he was testing your reflexes? Best birthday ever, by the way, I always hated getting a check-up from him. Anyway, I'm still settling into the castle, the king has a nasty temper but so far I've been playing it safe._

Tifa could just see the lies oozing out from the letter she had found on her doormat and narrowed her eyes. Anne never played anything safe.

_The servants are nice. There's Angeal who kind of reminds me of Father, he smells like the woods and he's good at cooking. There's Genesis who is very easy to tease and his ears, all of the servants have dog ears on top of their heads with dog tails, are so fluffy and soft. There's Aerith, whom you've met, and she's been making me all these dresses, I don't think I'll have enough time to try them all on! There's Zack, you've met him too, who's kind of annoying but in a goofy way, he's hard to hate. There's Yuffie who's got this massive collection of rune stones and she spends most of her time hiding them in different places or just hovering mid-air in her favourite corridor sorting them out. There's Cid who's got a bit of a short temper but I'm sure he's nice. There are these two other servants who act more like bodyguards, I'm told they're named Kunsel and Luxiere, they haven't really talked to me much. There are also three others that work in the courtyard and they've been looking after Poppy. I should go out and say thank you to them._

Tifa let out a soft sigh. People with dog ears and tails, hovering mid-air in corridors, whatever next?

_The king scares me but he promised to be kinder to me after I got under his skin a couple of times and I intend to behave a little more ladylike to make sure I don't get him angry again. He said he would teach me magic arts, which means we'll be spending a lot of time together and I'm going to be working and studying harder than before. It's kind of scary but I'm excited at the same time. It does mean I'll have to practice different arts and experiment a little bit. Don't be worried, he'll always be there and make sure I don't get into trouble._

Tifa glowered at the letter again. Anne clearly took a lot of time to write this section of the letter, she was definitely hiding something. But the more Tifa read, her eyes widened in alarm.

_Cloud's been around trying to get me out but it didn't end every well. I think this Stregherian named Rosso mentioned she was going to help him home. Tifa, please, be very careful of her. I don't know how she manipulated Cloud into using magic but he couldn't control it and the power nearly dealt fatal damage to the servants. Thank goodness he wasn't consumed and killed by it. Maybe he's got some family background of magic because from what I remember the power she put into his sword would have drained me if I didn't have the Wiccan blood in me._

This woman…had put Cloud in danger? Tifa glanced at Cloud who was still recovering in his bed and bit her lip.

_Tifa, she might come after you, she seems very interested in all forms of magic. She's like a predator so please be careful. She's very powerful so I don't think the dolphin kick will work unless you take a leaf out of one of my books on Wicca. Anyway, give Max a big hug from me, leave a chop or a steak or something for Bandit on the back doorstep to say thank you for giving you this letter and don't be alarmed in you see two Tonberries in the area, their names are Torgal and Terry and they're just stopping by for the winter season._

_Lots of love,_

_Anne_

"…I'm so not hugging a Malboro!" Tifa shouted at the letter as if Anne would hear her if she did.

She folded the letter up and glanced at Cloud who was still sleeping. She wished he would wake up soon so he could tell her everything that happened over at that castle. Was Anne really possessed? Was Rosso to be trusted? And why was Anne referring to that creature as a king? Maybe that was a sign that she was possessed, to call that beast a king was surely the most insane thing to do. Tifa closed her eyes and prayed. If she really was possessed, she could only hope they would be able to save her in one piece.

* * *

KABOOM!

Black smoke flooded the kitchen as Anne coughed after a wrong ingredient was flung into the potion at the wrong time. Sephiroth, who was opposite her to instruct her in this alchemy lesson, sneezed loud enough to fling the windows open and the smoke wafted out to give them more air. Anne tried to wave the smoke away from her nose to avoid inhaling too much. Her eyes were burning so she squeezed them shut, coughing and waving. Sephiroth sneezing into her face didn't help much with getting the smoke out of her face. The doors suddenly slammed open and amongst the sneezing and coughing, Angeal's voice boomed.

"I told you two before! NO MORE ALCHEMY LESSONS IN MY KITCHEN!"

"Achoo!" Sephiroth sneezed some smoke into Angeal's face as the room began to clear "You don't label things properly!"

"Your Majesty, I label everything perfectly on the jars," Angeal said with folded arms after he waved the smoke away "I even had Genesis spell them so Zack won't be able to peel and swap them around."

Sephiroth grumbled as he rubbed his nose.

"It was Anne's fault this time anyway, she wasn't paying attention to my instructions."

"Mm…not it wasn't."

The smoke cleared enough to show Anne presenting her little bowl of dark pink substance to Angeal whilst Sephiroth's bowl was caked in hard black flakes. She smiled innocently as Sephiroth glared her down, black splotches showing on his once pristine silver fur. Anne slowly placed her bowl down and took a pinch of the white powder in the pot next to her and sprinkled it in, turning it into a pale blue. Sephiroth snorted.

"Show off."

"No, just following the last instructions you gave me," Anne said with another innocent smile.

Sephiroth folded his arms, muttering a cleaning spell to get rid of the black splotches on him. Angeal rolled his eyes as he looked around.

"Get out, the both of you," he sighed "Next time do your alchemy lessons outside and Your Majesty? Anne should be teaching you, alchemy was never your strong point."

"Tch," Sephiroth huffed as he stormed out, Anne following behind.

As Sephiroth grumbled in between his sneezes, Anne smiled softly at him. The past two weeks, he had kept his word. Eventually they settled into a routine, meditation at dawn, breakfast with magic enhancers, reading in the library, lunch with magic enhancers, alchemy lessons, meditation at dusk, dinner with magic enhancers, astronomy, a quick chat before going to sleep. Sometimes their dreams would connect and they'd get to know one another through their dream although Vincent would always be watching and reminding Anne, this man killed all but one of her ancestors and many others.

Anne found it hard to try and forgive Sephiroth for sacrificing so many to boost his power. Sure, on the surface all she did was hold a smile and say that she was aware of what he did. She never said anything about forgiving him. No, in her heart she wasn't prepared to just simply brush off the fact that he murdered so many including women and children.

Anne blinked as she realised that they were in the West Wing and her eyes fell on the sacrificial altar by the balcony. Sephiroth curled up on the pile of cushions and blankets before noticing her thoughtful gaze.

"Anne," he said and Anne jerked her head towards him "Problem?"

"Uh…" Anne stood there for a moment, trying to think of what to say.

"Anne, open up to me. I can't help you through our bond because it's already so weak."

"B-Bond?"

Anne then blinked and felt her scar as Sephiroth nodded.

"It's faint from our conflicts," he explained "The past two weeks have been able to sustain it but trust is key. If it's personal then I understand but the more you open up to me, the stronger the bond will get and I will be able to help you telepathically at longer distances."

He beckoned for her and Anne advanced slowly until his forehead was pressed against hers.

"See, we need to be this close for telepathic communications," his voice echoed in her head.

"Get out of here!"

Sephiroth yelped and pulled away as Vincent began ranting and raging at him, Anne rolling her eyes.

"Oi, calm down," she hissed at the ethereal form of her ancestor beside her.

"Get him to get rid of your scar! It's unnecessary and weak already so there's no point in keeping it!"

"Being a dead spirit is making you cranky…" Anne commented dryly and Vincent glowered at her.

"Keep your ancestor under control," Sephiroth demanded as he rubbed his head.

"Hey, hey, no fighting, we don't want anyone to get hurt," Anne said soothingly as she looked back and forth between Vincent and Sephiroth.

"I got hurt," Sephiroth whined and lowered his head to his front paws.

Anne smiled softly as she came closer and massaged his ears. Sephiroth let out a happy rumble as his tails wagged happily.

"Your Majesty?"

"Hm?"

"I would like to use a memory spell to connect with the altar and see what happened."

Sephiroth sat straight up and stared down at her with alarmed green eyes.

"Anne, it hasn't been used for at least seventy five years, it'll take up a lot of energy, you might fall into another coma and you'll be really upset."

"But I want to know…"

"Anne, you don't have enough magic, if you'll allow me?"

He hovered a single claw over the top of her bosom.

"No!" Vincent gnashed his teeth furiously.

"He's done it before," Anne hissed before nodding.

Sephiroth frowned a bit before shaking his head.

"Sarasu."

An adorable yelp passed through her lips as her blue core, a bit darker from the Chaos, was exposed and Sephiroth carefully ran his thumb down it.

"It's ready for another expansion," he said as Anne shivered "Here."

Anne sighed as she flopped down onto the cushions and blankets whilst Sephiroth crouched in front of her.

"If I can transfer more magic into your core and you let it grow, I'll let you do the memory spell."

Anne looked up at him with teary eyes and he helped her onto his lap, exposing his own core. He held her hands tightly and she whined as tendrils came out of his core and pushed themselves into hers. Her tiny fingers flexed in his grip as his paws completely engulfed hers. She wriggled, tears going down her face which were gently lapped up by Sephiroth. She looked up at him as he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"You're doing well."

Anne whined as he told her this and sobbed more. She gasped as the tendrils came out and shivered, slowly blacking out.

"Kakusu."

Their cores disappeared as Anne flopped onto Sephiroth's chest and he embraced her tightly. She slept as he stared at the altar and hugged her tighter.

"Please, please, forgive me for what you may see," he whispered.


	21. Chapter 22

Zack braced himself in the corridor as the thunderous galloping grew closer and closer. Angeal was busy, Genesis was officially down and he was next. He whined as Galian Beast turned the corner and spotted him, its purple tail wagging eagerly. How did it end up like this in the first place? He was certain that caring for a giant purple beast wasn't in this job description! Where was Aerith and her fancy clothes when you needed her? He began to slowly back away from Anne's eager expression, he was certain that he was going to lose a limb by dusk.

"I intend to spend some time studying on the second floor of the library," he remembered Sephiroth's words before he released Anne to rain terror upon them "Amuse her."

"Anne?" Zack squeaked and Anne snorted, shaking her snow white hair out with her body whilst digging her black claws into the carpet "Um…can't we play a little bit with you in your human form?"

Anne growled playfully, dipping her body and waving her tail around eagerly which had enough strength to smack and crack one of the walls. Zack backed away with a concerned whine. Aerith was most likely going to have to repair the castle, Anne was pretty destructive today. Zack winced when he remembered exactly why Genesis was down. Anne had dragged him around with her tail for a good half hour before hanging him up on a torch holder and giving his ears a good tug. Poor Genesis… Zack swallowed as Anne began to inch forward towards him, preparing to pounce.

"Anne, can you understand me like that?" he asked and Anne's eyes glinted "…Anne?"

There was a roar and a terrified scream as Zack tore down the corridors with Anne hot on his heels, pouncing and missing him. Plants fell from the tables, dust fell from the ceiling and the paintings jumped with every tremor Anne sent out with her pouncing. She jumped so high, Zack swore she was going to hit her head on the ceiling. He began to wish she would hit her head and knock herself out so he wouldn't be pounced on. He yelped as she pounced so close to him, the back of his shirt tore when her nail got snagged into the cloth and he began running faster.

"Your Majesty!" he cried as he past the door to the second floor library "Call her off! Tell her to transform back! This is worse than the last time! YOUR MAJESTY!"

* * *

Vincent sighed and folded his translucent arms as he watched Anne snatched up the silly Newfoundland with her paws and start chewing his ears. He whined, apparently she wasn't biting too hard, waving his legs around and demanding to be put down. He then yelled for help as she began shaking him up and down, placed him in her mouth to shake him from right to left before dangling him in front of her. She then eventually got bored of swinging him around so switched back to holding him with both hands, chewing his ears gently. Vincent smiled wistfully, if only she didn't have to take in magic to expand her core.

"Come on, Anne!" he whined "I can do magic! Just let my arms free…"

Vincent's brow twitched. This non-magical fool was irritating, using cheap street tricks to entertain his great-granddaughter whilst she's in a befuddled state, how dare he treat her like something in a circus! Vincent twisted his lips and continued watching Anne play with Zack, as if he was a doll. It was admittedly adorably the way she would cock her head to the side, stare down at Zack as if he was a recently discovered species and wagging her tail eagerly, despite the damage it was causing. Anne growled as she wagged her tail eagerly, cracking the walls with it, sniffing and licking up Zack's hair.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Zack whined "No, not the hair!"

Vincent leisurely strolled into Anne's line of sight, making her perk up and stare at him with wide, eager eyes. At least she could still see him and hopefully she'll be able to understand, listen and follow his words. Thankfully she wouldn't be able to hurt him like she had done with the red fox and this Newfoundland. He narrowed his eyes at the sparks of energy Anne's hair seemed to be giving off, this leaking magic thing made him nervous. If not controlled properly, Anne's body could become crystallised in magic and she wouldn't be able to awaken for potentially centuries. However, Vincent won't let that happen, it was time to let some of that magic loose.

_"So," _he said whilst unfolding his arms and smirking to himself _"Anne, shall we have a little magic lesson?"_

Anne snuffled and Zack yelped as the excitement made her clutch him a little tighter.

_"Careful now, don't harm the subject," _Vincent said calmly and Anne loosened her grip _"We need to have an intact and willing body."_

"Anne, you're awfully quiet but your tail is nearly knocking the walls down, are you alright?" Zack squeaked.

_"We'll need an open space," _Vincent hummed as he cupped his chin _"The gardens might be too risky, that massive chandelier in the ballroom would be in the way, oh, I think the lobby will suffice."_

"Anne, you're just staring into space, you're worrying me a little.

_"Come, let's set it up."_

Anne carefully set Zack in her mouth, careful not to graze him with her fangs, and carried him whilst eagerly following Vincent like a crocodile carrying her young. Zack hung from her jaws, calling for help but all his cries fell on deaf ears. He was then dumped in the centre of the lobby and Vincent managed to urge Anne to take a couple of steps back so she could start the spell. Zack sat up and didn't dare move when Anne let out a dangerous growl. He froze briefly, watching her face before plopping back down on his spot which enticed a happy rumble from the turned Wiccan.

_"Now, my dear descendent," _Vincent purred with a full on smirk _"You won't have to spill your blood so do as you would to cast a fire spell."_

Anne cocked her head to the side and Vincent's smirk wavered as Zack flattened his ears.

_"Did you understand that?" _Vincent asked slowly.

Anne jumped and slammed all four paws onto the floor, making the lobby shake, the dust in the ceiling fall and the floors crack. Zack bounced with the tremor and whimpered as he stared up at Anne with fearful eyes.

"Anne, can we play with you in your human form yet?" he asked.

Anne let out a roar and the room temperature skyrocketed.

* * *

BOOM!

Sephiroth snapped his head up when he smelt burnt flesh, decided that Anne had gone too far and dashed over to the lobby where he pinpointed the source of the explosion. He saw a charred body with Aerith muttering quick healing spells and Angeal pasting some sort of gel over it whilst Anne stood on the staircase, giving him a very innocent look which would remind someone of a guilty puppy. He smiled and carefully padded down to nuzzle the side of her face. Anne whimpered but nuzzled back uncertainly, welcoming the affectionate gesture. Sephiroth sighed happily, he preferred this trusting version of Anne.

"Now, what did we do?" he asked gently like a parent to a naughty child.

Anne dipped her head low, nudging the blackened carpet with her horns. Sephiroth glanced at the three servants again and shrugged.

"He'll live," he said dismissively and Aerith glared "You've never failed with your healing spells, you won't start now."

"He could have been fried to a crisp!" Aerith shrieked.

"She can't wield that amount of power yet, I assure you," Sephiroth said and suddenly Anne let out a pained roar.

Sephiroth caught her as she shrunk back into her human form, holding her head and screaming in pain.

"Hey, hey, ssh…" he soothed her "What's wrong? Did you take a strain from the magic? I told you not to use magic…unless it was your damn ancestor's idea!"

Sephiroth carefully nosed her head and received a gold plated foot into his mind.

_"Do you mind?!"_

_"Stay out of her head!"_

Sephiroth growled as he pulled back, trying to establish some form of diagnosis whilst shaking off the pain Vincent had given him. He didn't have enough time as Anne backed away from him, her body swelling up and turning grey. Everyone took a step back as she grew, broken chains shackling her buff wrists, her hair turning from black to blonde and tattered shreds covering her chest and hips. Sephiroth's eyes widened as she retreated into a dark corner, covering her hideously deformed face, as if she was ashamed. Green eyes softened, normally Anne wouldn't be like this but in her delirious state, she probably felt like a boy who had been caught putting a dead rat in a jar of cookies.

"Anne," he cooed and yelped as he was assaulted by ethereal curses.

_"You're supposed to be filling her core with magic, not more Chaos!" _Vincent yelled.

"It was a mixture, it'll help her grow!" Sephiroth snarled whilst healing the singe marks on his arms.

"Your Majesty?" Angeal said warily.

"Get out of here," Sephiroth snapped and the servants bustled out.

_"You buffoon!" _Vincent yelled in his head _"She's upgraded to Death Gigas, do you want her to die?!"_

"With the right training, she'll handle it."

_"I'm dead! I can't give her the training that my father gave me!"_

Sephiroth snorted as he beckoned Anne closer.

"Anne, come here," he cooed "It's not your fault, you're just growing."

He held out a paw and Anne peeked out from between her fat fingers to look at him. She looked hesitant, as if she was ashamed by the way she was. Sephiroth was patient as he beckoned her again, enticing her to pull one hand away from her face. Her face resembled to somewhat of an ogre's but it didn't matter to Sephiroth. Anne would probably less likely morph and experiment with this form, which was better because this form would clearly use up more energy. Plus it was hideous but Sephiroth decided to keep it to himself. She inched forward towards his offered paw as Vincent growled.

_"Do you really intend to train her?" _he snarled.

"I said I'd help her with her magic," Sephiroth answered simply as he took her hand "Just relax, Anne. Focus on your happy memories."

Anne squeezed her eyes tightly and began shrinking, falling to her knees and hugging herself whilst shaking. Sephiroth nosed her head tenderly, only to have a curse hit him on the nose.

"Would you stop doing that?!"

_"Keep your paws off my descendent!"_

Sephiroth snorted as he stepped away, only to have Anne run and hug his leg tightly. He snorted smugly and Vincent sighed irritably. Sephiroth glanced down as Anne's sweat began to turn his leg fur violet. He wrinkled his nose before muttering a cleaning spell to get rid of the sweat and the violet colouring. Anne pulled away to stare at his leg with a confused frown and licked it, turning it violet again.

"Stop doing that!" Sephiroth growled as he cleaned his leg again.

Anne whined pitifully before yawning loudly. Sephiroth smiled as he placed a hand over her shoulders.

"Bed time?" he proposed.

Anne shook her head, closed her eyes and turned into Galian Beast. Sephiroth sighed as she pulled on his paw pleadingly and he hummed.

"Come with me," he said and he led her out into the courtyard "Loz!"

A massive Gray Wolf scurried over and stood to attention before them. Anne perked up as Sephiroth nudged her forward.

"Have fun."

Loz flattened his ears as Anne's eyes glinted.

"Your Majesty?"

But the doors were closed and Yazoo and Kadaj had already retreated into their hiding places…


	22. Chapter 23

Sephiroth poked his head out of the window from his late mother's laboratory to see Loz and Anne curled up in the pile of leaves near Angeal's flowerbeds. He snorted, closing the alchemy book he was reading and barked sharply, grabbing Loz's attention.

"Back to your post," he said dismissively whilst jumping out of the window and behind them.

Loz flattened his ears before nuzzling the side of Anne's face and running back to the front courtyard. Sephiroth whispered a cancelling spell in Anne's ear, making her shrink back to her human form and picked her up to carry the Wiccan back inside. Anne nuzzled her face into his fur and he nosed the top of her head affectionately. Her hands reached out blindly and grabbed handfuls of his fur, sighing softly as she rested her head in a comfortable crook of his shoulder. Sephiroth felt at ease as he carried her to the West Wing, nodding to any passing servants that bade them goodnight.

"Henko," he began whispering as he sprawled himself out on the pillows and blankets "doresu, howaito."

Anne wriggled in her sleep as her sky blue dress morphed into a loose white nightgown and she gathered Sephiroth's tails in her arms to cuddle as the cursed king set her to lie against his torso. A dreamy smile appeared on her face as she slept soundly against him. Sephiroth nosed the side of her head before dropping off to sleep with her.

* * *

He appeared in her dream next to Vincent and they exchanged an unsavoury glare briefly. It was Sephiroth who broke the eye contact to watch the carefree Wiccan dance in a field of flowers, butterflies circling her as she laughed and skipped about happily.

"You're growing closer," Vincent commented and Sephiroth snorted, waving the notion away dismissively.

"She's easy to get attached to," he said.

"She's only allowing you to get close because you're a hideous monster," Vincent said, smirking at Sephiroth's snarl "The men at her village have tried and failed to woo her. She absolutely despises men."

"She's doing fine with the servants," Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and snapped his gaze back to Anne when she let out a scream.

As it turned out, the scream was out of happiness as she ran towards a Bandersnatch, most likely the one she named Bandit, and gave him a massive hug, falling back into the large meadow of blue and pink flowers. He let out an involuntary growl of jealousy and Vincent snorted with a sadistic looking smirk.

"Supposing she does break the curse?" he said "She'll only leave you."

"She may not," Sephiroth shrugged.

"She'll definitely leave you."

Sephiroth bared his fangs, his wing ruffling a bit as he met Vincent's smug look.

"The thing she hates most is to be a trophy," he said "Best find another woman to turn into a prize."

"Anne is no prize," Sephiroth hissed.

"Then why would you want her to stay?" Vincent raised an eyebrow.

Sephiroth hesitated as he switched his gaze back to Anne frolicking in the flowers with Bandit. His eyes softened as he watched her face light up happily, her eyes twinkle happily and he shivered at the memories of her tiny hands clinging onto him.

"She's warm despite her cold first impression," he began talking with a ghost of a smile on his lips "She's dedicated to her magical studies, which can be hard to find in a young woman. She's got a strong mind and a strong will…"

He sighed and grinned inwardly.

"She reminds me of my mother…"

He closed his eyes and pictured the warm smile his mother always gave him. The woman who helped him walk his first step, taught him his first word and first spell… His train of thought was cut off at Vincent's loud, feral growl and the aura of doom that descended upon the hill they were on. Sephiroth sharply glanced over to Vincent's venomous glare, regarding the wings that had pushed themselves out of his back.

"Don't you dare," he growled in a sinister voice "compare that worthless bitch to my descendent."

Sephiroth glared back as the aura around them darkened with his malicious intent to tear apart the man in the red cloak.

"I would be careful with how you talk about her," he said with a warning tone.

"Anne is nothing like her," Vincent growled as his skin began changing colour "Anne will grow up to be a greater sorceress than your mother could have ever hoped to be."

"My mother was a brilliant magic-wielder," Sephiroth growled as he began to ascend from the ground "More powerful than you, which is why you ended up in a coffin after she tore you apart like parchment."

He choked as Vincent transformed fully and a clawed hand gripped his neck tightly. He glared into the demonic eyes of the deceased Wiccan as he gripped Vincent's wrist.

"I sincerely hope that you fall deeply in love with her," he growled lowly "I hope you fall so deeply that you will be driven insane when she rejects you and fights against you. Then she'll crush your heart literally and figuratively because you can't even think of ever hurting her."

His monstrous face sneered at the Shinto.

"Seeing you die at her hands will be a fine pleasure indeed!"

Sephiroth grunted as he was shoved aside then turned on his heel sharply to retaliate.

* * *

The two were so caught up in their argument that they didn't notice a third party observing the young Wiccan. Lucrecia walked up slowly towards Anne who was picking petals off the flowers with a happy hum. She stopped in her place, however, when Anne suddenly snapped her head round to look at her with wide, frightened eyes. The Bandersnatch beside her jumped to its feet and snarled at her in warning. The deceased woman merely waved her hand.

"Be gone."

Bandit yelped as he disappeared and Anne whined, reaching out to where he once was. She began crawling away as Lucrecia advanced towards her until she waved her hand again. Anne jumped as her back was met with a brick wall and Lucrecia caught up to her, crouching down.

"No need to be afraid, Valentine child," she cooed before glaring distastefully at the two men who were fighting "I'm only here to take you to a calmer place."

Anne began resisting her aggressively when she snatched her wrist and the scene shifted into a large purple room with a roaring fire and windows showing a forest of pine trees with a mountainous background. Lucrecia gently plopped the young Wiccan onto the lilac sofa and sat with her, observing her as she tucked herself into the corner, red eyes trained on her calm form.

"Now, little one," she said calmly "I'm not here to hurt you."

Anne's eyes glazed themselves over with venom and she huffed.

"Still leaking magic?" she said with an irritated look "Come here."

Anne shrieked as Lucrecia snatched her and dragged her over so she could place a hand over her head. A hum thrummed through the room as Anne tensed but relaxed into her touch. But once Lucrecia let her go, she was by the windows holding her head and groaning. Lucrecia watched coolly as she gripped onto the curtains before finally opening her eyes and taking in her surroundings. She looked disorientated momentarily until she turned and saw her.

"Where am I?" she asked uncertainly and pressed her back to the window as Lucrecia shifted.

"I'm not here to hurt you," she said soothingly.

"Where's my great-grandfather?" Anne asked as her eyes darted around the room in a panic.

"In your dream realm, I brought you here because he started a fight with my son."

Anne flattened herself against the window more as Lucrecia got up and walked closer to her. The deceased woman tilted her head up, regarding the young girl as she stood before her. She was tall enough to intimidate the Wiccan as she snatched Anne by her chin. Anne grabbed her wrist as her head was tilted up and moved side to side, being examined by judging eyes like a piece of meat.

"Pathetic," she sneered and Anne's grip on her wrist tightened "Weak, frail and not even pure blooded."

"Don't test me," Anne warned lowly and Lucrecia stepped back to slap her sharply.

"Don't use such a disrespectful tone with me, young lady," she scolded as Anne rubbed her cheek.

"You have no right to judge me," Anne snarled as her fangs elongated.

"I'm not here to fight, put those away," Lucrecia said with a cold glare.

"If you don't want to fight then don't push me!" Anne raised her voice as her eyes began to slit.

"Such a fierce temper, how unattractive," Lucrecia sneered "Did your mother not discipline you to hold your tongue when challenged?"

At the mention of her mother, Anne was subdued, her eyes going back to normal and her fangs retracting. She hunched her shoulders and nestled herself into the crook between the window and the wall.

"I have to be like that," she whimpered, eyes brimming with tears "I have to in order to put off men."

"It won't work with my son," Lucrecia raised an unimpressed eyebrow "Submit to him, throw yourself at him, stop playing hard to get."

"Playing hard to get?!" Anne spat as her fangs elongated a little "You make me sound like a conceited whore!"

"My dear, you have much to learn about men and women," Lucrecia sighed as she folded her arms "You can deny it as much as you want but your flirting…"

"Flirting?!" Anne hissed as her eyes were the next to change "I am not flirting. I am no whore like you!"

Lucrecia raised her hand again and Anne dodged the slap, running to the other side of the room.

"Your son can be enjoyable company when he wants to be," she snarled as her skin began turning purple "but that is all. He is a companion, nothing more."

"Is that true?" Lucrecia sneered.

"I have no plans to sacrifice myself to any man," Anne snorted "And even if I would wish for children, I could always ask for the last resort."

Lucrecia narrowed her eyes at Anne's smirk.

"Of course, you hope for your son to ask that of you if I break this curse," she said and Lucrecia's nostrils flared.

"I would not count on it," she said dismissively.

Anne shrugged as the Galian Beast features began to fade away and she yawned.

"This is tiring," she said as she walked over to the doors "I'm waking up."

She walked out and disappeared, making Lucrecia sigh and allow the purple and white vases to be smashed by her magic.

"That girl is nothing like her ancestor," she growled.

* * *

Anne woke promptly and hopped off the pile of blankets and cushions. Sephiroth snarled as she brushed herself down and looked towards the altar. She realised that she didn't have her knife on her and was about to wander down to her room to get it when she heard an unfamiliar growl. She looked around with a curious frown and made her way to the balcony, which was bathed in the light of the full moon. She held her breath as she cast her eyes down towards the courtyard. It was a massive Behemoth. It was pacing around, sniffing around and looking up at the sky every so now and then. It froze when it looked up and their eyes met. Anne stiffened as it growled warily then stood on its hind legs to sniff her air. Anne backed away, her heart thumping before she retreated back into the castle then ran down to her room.

She retrieved her dagger then carefully jogged to the front doors. She opened one of the heavy doors slowly, trying not to alarm the Behemoth and stood on the top of the steps. The Behemoth paced the courtyard again and spotted her. He bared his teeth and Anne braced herself, ready to dash back into the castle. He slowly walked up to her and she pressed the blade of her dagger at her thigh, ready to draw blood and cast a spell. His nose hovered above her head and he sniffed her curiously. Anne came to the quick conclusion that this Behemoth, despite his size, was young and didn't see her as a threat. Carefully and gently, Anne raised her hand and placed it on his snout. It snorted and she smiled wryly.

"Want to play?"

* * *

When Lucrecia arrived back at Anne's dream realm and raised an eyebrow at the smoking wreckage of the forest and placed her hands on her hips.

"Are you two proud of yourselves?" she asked when she approached the brawlers who were exchanging unsavoury glares.

Sephiroth straightened immediately and looked towards his mother before falling to one knee. Vincent snorted derisively as Lucrecia offered her hand for him to kiss.

"Mother's special little boy," he said mockingly and both Crescents glared at him.

"Stand down, Valentine," Lucrecia said nonchalantly "Look around you, do you really want your descendent to come back to be greeted to this sight?"

Vincent hesitated as he glanced around at the smoking trees and the torched flowers. He then straightened his spine and glared at Lucrecia.

"Where is she?" he asked with a warning growl as Sephiroth looked to see Anne's absence.

"She woke up," Lucrecia shrugged "I got rid of the magic leaking from her so she's in her right state of mind."

"Is that right?" Vincent snarled.

"Do you doubt me?" Lucrecia asked indifferently.

Vincent shrunk to his original human form and pulled up his shirt to show the burns and scars that decorated his torso.

"Hm, point taken," Lucrecia drawled as Sephiroth stood and she circled round to neaten his hair.

Sephiroth eyed the darkened marks as they were covered up again.

"That girl is very vulgar," Lucrecia hummed as she ran her fingers through her son's hair "Extremely disrespectful."

"As she should," Vincent remarked as he wandered the ruined landscape, repairing the damage "You don't deserve her respect."

"I don't even want respect from such an itty bitty thing," Lucrecia said dismissively as she began braiding the silver hair "Weak, frail, such a pitiful excuse for a magic-wielder. Although expected as she is your spawn."

Sephiroth shifted on the spot awkwardly as Vincent walked by and eyed him up and down.

"And you assume your narrow-minded and pompous son is better?"

Sephiroth snarled and Lucrecia placed a hand over his heart to calm him.

"My son deserves a much better woman," she said coldly.

"And my great-granddaughter deserves happiness which your son will never be able to give her."

Sephiroth gritted his teeth as Vincent's words left a sting in him.

"Happiness," Lucrecia scoffed as she reached around to tilt Sephiroth's chin up and continued braiding "Who needs happiness when power can get you anything you want?"

"You poor thing. Living in the lap of luxury but you don't know the most precious element ever existed."

Lucrecia glared at Vincent venomously and continued braiding.

"May I remind you that even your power couldn't prevent your death?" Vincent continued talking as he regrew the flowers "And that your power was obtained through the souls you harvested from your brutal sacrifices? Which then led to Rosso cursing your precious son."

Lucrecia scoffed as she pulled away to turn her son round and fuss over Sephiroth's face.

"We'll have to ensure that doesn't happen again," she said as she gave her son a proud smile which wasn't returned "Providing your little beast is gone by the time the curse is broken."

"She'll be long gone," Vincent promised and eyed the look Sephiroth held as Lucrecia turned away to glare at Vincent.

"I should hope so," she said smugly.

Sephiroth looked away from Vincent's scrutinizing gaze and stepped away.

"I'm going to wake up," he announced "If Anne is up and about, I must keep an eye on her. She is quick to find trouble."

"It's the only way she learns," Vincent smiled to himself as Lucrecia rolled her eyes "Don't let your guard down."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at Vincent's warning glare.

"It would be a shame if you fell so disgracefully."

There was malice and yet concern but Sephiroth didn't dwell on it as he stepped onto the path that led to a little village on the horizon.

* * *

Sephiroth woke up and yawned, his tails twitching when they felt the absence of the young Wiccan. He huffed and got up, shaking himself out and sat up to try and detect Anne's aura.

"Eee!"

Sephiroth jumped and looked towards the balcony incredulously. That had been a high pitched squeal. He padded out to the balcony and sniffed around. Amongst the early dawn dew, he smelt Anne's scent…and the scent of a Behemoth?! Sephiroth cursed as he spread his aura out, he forgot that the Behemoths enjoyed sneaking into the garden at this time of year.

"Anne?!"

"Aha-ha-ha!"

Sephiroth frowned deeply as a bout of giggles erupted from the garden and he was quick to dash down and into the garden facing the north.

"Anne?" he called uncertainly.

"Aw, you're such a cuddly Behemoth!"

Sephiroth looked towards the east gardens with a raised eyebrow.

"I think Bain will suit you, aw, you're so fluffy!"

Sephiroth turned the corner and watched as Anne tickled the belly of a rather large Behemoth which wriggled in delight underneath her. Anne grinned as she paused to nuzzle and bury her face into its fur. The Behemoth relaxed and growled happily before turning its head to Sephiroth. He snarled and Anne tensed before spotting Sephiroth and she slit her hand.

"_Royk,_" she whispered and the Behemoth relaxed again its tail waving lazily "Good morning."

"Explain," Sephiroth said as he carefully crept closer.

"Oh, he was in the courtyard and we began playing around," Anne said with a bright smile "I didn't transform into Galian Beast, don't worry."

"And it didn't attack you?" Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

"He's quite young," Anne explained as she rubbed its belly "I had my dagger with me so there was no danger."

"Supposing it had been an older, rougher Behemoth that could use magic?" Sephiroth said and Anne paused for a beat.

"We had a bonding moment on your balcony," she said.

"Bonding moment?"

Anne grinned and Sephiroth snorted, lying beside the Behemoth. The Behemoth snarled and Anne shushed him. Sephiroth flattened his ears.

"Calming spell," he grumbled.

"Are you sure?" Anne asked with a frown "That normally sends you off to sleep, I'm worried it might not be good for you."

Sephiroth growled and looked away moodily.

"Do you have any other spells?" he asked.

"Hmm, I could do a healing spell?" Anne offered "Any injuries to report?"

"Rrnn…no, and they barely last," Sephiroth huffed.

"Why do you want me to spell you?" Anne asked with a soft frown.

"…I need to make sure your magic is stable."

Anne sighed as she sat up briefly, running a hand through her hair.

"I could do a spell to make your skin fire resistant," she offered and Sephiroth blinked.

"You know such a spell?" he said with a concerned glance to the Behemoth who growled softly, pawing at Anne's nightgown.

"When experimenting with fire, it's useful," Anne shrugged as she cradled the Behemoth's paws to her shoulder, nuzzling it with her cheek.

Sephiroth sat up and eyed the paw warily.

"Careful, a Behemoth's claws can slice through bone," he warned her.

"Bain's being careful, don't worry," Anne smiled.

"Bain?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and sighed "You named it?"

"I always name my monsters," Anne cooed as she tickled Bain under the chin.

"You tamed monsters as big as Behemoths before?" Sephiroth asked uncertainly "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

Anne opened then closed her mouth before smiling up at him.

"Paw?"

Sephiroth placed a finger into her palm as she sliced the back of her hand.

"_Pyyra, farma_!"

Sephiroth bristled as her magic flowed through him and warmth ran through his skin. He nearly purred and settled down, a clear look of contentment on his face.

"Did it work?" Anne timidly asked.

"Yes," Sephiroth murmured as he curled up, relishing in her magic.

From afar, Vincent grimaced.


	23. Chapter 24

Anne was not happy. It had been two weeks since she had recovered from her second dose of Sephiroth's magic, her core had enough energy to do a memory spell but Sephiroth wasn't letting her anywhere near the altar. He promised her that he'd let her and it really turned her mood sour whenever she saw the altar but either got dragged into sleeping or practicing new spells. Right now, Sephiroth was nudging her back insistently with his nose towards the pile of pillows and blankets where they normally slept together, their dream worlds linked together. It was nice to be able to relax in a dream world and get to know Sephiroth more. Despite all that, Anne couldn't feel like she could forgive him so easily.

"Anne?"

Anne looked up at Sephiroth as he pushed her again towards the bed and she turned to him.

"Sorry, I'm just a little distracted," she said as Sephiroth curled up on the top of the pile with his ears pricked to attention.

"I can sense it," he said "You're worrying about something."

Anne titled her head then felt her scar with a look of realisation.

"Uh…I want to try a new spell but I'm not sure if it's going to work…"

It was true, it was a relaxing spell except amplified so a normal target would fall asleep. She was worried it would do more damage to Sephiroth given his reaction. Sephiroth tilted his head.

"No-one can hurt me here," he explained "Even with your heightened powers, you won't be able to do any lasting damage."

"Are you sure?" Anne looked really unsure.

"Trust me."

Anne moved forward and brought her knife out. She sliced her palm and placed it on Sephiroth's head.

"_Royk…heytan!_"

Sephiroth stiffened for a moment before melting, his eyes closing blissfully as he fell straight to sleep on his pile of cushions and blankets. Anne stepped away with a sigh of relief before wandering over to the altar.

_"Anne, wait!"_

Vincent appeared on the altar with his hand out.

_"Not without someone supervising you," _he said sternly.

"You're supervising me," Anne raised an eyebrow.

_"In this form? I can't pluck you out of memory spells! I don't have enough energy for that!"_

"Really? That's unimpressive."

Vincent rolled his eyes.

_"I'm not a god, I'm a dead Wiccan," _he explained slowly _"I can go into your dreams, but I cannot hop into your time travelling spells to rescue you if something happens."_

"Well have some faith, it can't be that bad," Anne shrugged.

_"How many times have you ever said that?" _Vincent folded his arms.

Anne huffed and placed her bloodied hand on the altar.

_"Anne, no!"_

"_Spwr…_Sephiroth!"

Anne hissed through her teeth as the spell took effect and Vincent looked helplessly as she fell limp and collapsed by the altar, her face twisted in agony as she began seeing the memories of the altar. Vincent looked towards Sephiroth before storming over to him and placed a hand over his head. After a second he disappeared.

* * *

Vincent stood in the garden, observing the scenery with narrowed eyes then making his way over to where a lax Sephiroth sat on a small bridge, splashing the lake of koi fish with his hand. He hesitated at the edge and saw how doe-eyed Sephiroth looked. It was as if the king was in Nirvana. He was casually splashing without a care in the world, a smile seemingly permanently adorned on his face. Vincent could also hear a faint hum as his wing draped over his shoulder sloppily. With a roll of his eyes, he strode over to him and shook him firmly, sighing in frustration as Sephiroth gave him an idle look.

"Why are you here?" he asked in a soft slur.

Vincent wasn't sure whether to be impressed or annoyed that Anne's spell had taken such a strong effect.

"Wake up, Anne's gone behind your back and used a memory spell on the altar."

Sephiroth swayed for a moment before blinking and seemed to be alert, or he attempted to anyway.

"Anne's in trouble," he murmured as he pushed himself onto his feet.

His knees gave way and he groaned.

"I can't, her spell…" he breathed as he blinked furiously, shaking his head "I need help…"

"I can't help, I don't have enough energy to spare on you," Vincent folded his arms.

Sephiroth growled as his head swayed before he looked up, his half-lidded eyes meeting Vincent's stern ones.

"Angeal," he breathed "Tall, muscular, dark hair and Doberman ears…"

Vincent exhaled through his nose sharply. He recognised the description but Angeal couldn't see him. Damn, this is an emergency, Vincent will make himself known to him.

"I'll see what I can do," he said coolly before turning the leaving the dream realm.

* * *

Gravy was flying everywhere as Zack devoured his dinner greedily. Aerith rolled her eyes knowingly as she tended the potted plants in the kitchen whilst Cid and Angeal cleaned the dishes.

"You are such an animal," Genesis wrinkled his nose distastefully.

Zack twitched his ears to emphasize that Genesis was not wrong and continued eating sloppily. Genesis moved further away from him whilst dipping his bread into his gravy sauce and delicately nibbled at it.

"You're such a girl, Gen," Zack said with his mouth full.

"No, I just prefer manners," Genesis sighed as Yuffie came in with wide, eager eyes.

"Yay, seconds!" she cheered as she dove for the pot.

"You sure about that?" Cid grunted "You'll get fat."

"I'm the greatest ninja ever! I never…"

Yuffie was interrupted as Angeal suddenly dropped the plate he was holding and stared at the doorway with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"You're…!" he breathed and grunted as the front of his shirt was pulled forward and he staggered across the kitchen in front of everyone's alarmed looks.

"Angeal?!" Genesis exclaimed as he got up with Aerith to follow him.

* * *

Anne was standing in the exact same spot she was beside the altar when she performed the memory spell. In front of her was a young woman, perhaps a little younger than her, splayed out on the altar with tear-stained cheeks and fearful eyes. At her head was the extravagantly dressed Lucrecia, sneering distastefully at her.

"She won't give you much," she said as she looked up slightly to someone else "But every ounce of power counts, my son."

Anne looked to the side and felt her soul crumble at Sephiroth's cold glare down towards the young girl. He gripped a dagger in his hand as he moved closer to her.

"She's related to that Wiccan who tried to kill you," he growled.

"His niece, yes."

The girl let out a whimper and Anne's heart began to ache. She was her ancestor.

"Be sure to kill her in one stab," Lucrecia reminded him "She will try to use any attempt to counteract us."

"Yes, mother."

Sephiroth moved to straddle over the woman who was struggling harder, crying and pleading. Anne began to cry pathetically with her as Sephiroth brought his dagger up high, clutching it in both hands. Anne closed her eyes tight as she heard a loud thud as the poor girl was stabbed and she felt the life flee the girl's body. She began crying harder when suddenly she felt her heart freeze over as the spell began to distort. Horror clutched onto her as she looked around the twisting scenery. This was bad, she needed to leave the memory before her mind could potentially get trapped in the timeline. But as she turned to cancel the spell, her limbs were strapped down to cold marble.

"She'll barely give you anything."

Anne let out a surprised cry as ropes burned her and she saw Lucrecia's smirk.

"But maybe she'll give you some fun."

Suddenly cold hands were gripped her arms and Anne began screaming and thrashing as she saw Sephiroth's eyes. Horror was twisting around her like how his dark magic twisted around her core, fear began filling and drowning her as she struggled for air. Realisation hit her like one of Tifa's punches. No matter what, Sephiroth had still killed so many as they had pleaded to him for their lives. And no matter what, much to Anne's despair, Sephiroth was a man. And men were all the same.

"L-L-Let me g-g-go!" she cried and coughed as she tried to draw blood "N-Now!"

She felt blood gargling in her throat, she could taste it at the back of her mouth but nothing was coming up. No blood was being spilt, she was helpless, powerless and weak. Tears streaked down her face as she tried to lash out at Sephiroth's blank face.

"Stop!" came a booming demand.

Suddenly Sephiroth was gone and in place was…Sephiroth but in his monstrous form. He stayed over her for a few moments before jumping off the altar and Anne's limbs were free.

"Anne, are you alright?" he asked in a panic as she just lay there "He couldn't have hurt you, he couldn't have! I would have never…!"

Anne just let her head fall to the side where she couldn't see Sephiroth and Sephiroth whined, moving so he was in her line of vision. She simply stared at him and he grabbed her arms to sit her up. She didn't give him cooperation but then again, he didn't need it. He clutched onto her, seeking for some response in her eyes.

"Anne…" he whined before bringing her into a hug "I said to not do that spell until I said it was safe, please don't do something like that without consulting me first!"

"You…" Anne murmured as she felt the blood finally pool in her mouth and leak out from between her lips.

She coughed a little bit and Sephiroth's hand was over her, wiping away the blood.

"Kyanseru."

The scenery of the balcony and the altar faded and Anne felt a soft breeze against her skin and she sensed that she was in her dream world. Fur turned into skin and Anne felt dread take hold of her again. She pushed Sephiroth away, who was now in his winged human form, and backed away rapidly.

"Anne, I'm not here to hurt you," he cooed and Anne shook her head.

Suddenly Bain came up and landed in between her and Sephiroth, growling at him. Anne flung herself to bury her face into his fur. Sephiroth stood and gave a pleading look to Anne.

"Please, please," he begged.

"That's what they all said, wasn't it?!" Anne bellowed aggressively and Sephiroth sighed despairingly.

"Anne, I'm not like that anymore," he murmured as Bain flexed his claws "I'm changed!"

"You're still a man," Anne glared at him "Men don't change."

Sephiroth parted his lips before his brows furrowed. He then bared his teeth, his fury overcoming his emotions.

"This pathetic fear of men!" he snapped as magic constricted around him "Anne, you don't act in fear around Zack! Or Genesis! Or Angeal! Or any of the other servants! You don't act in fear around your ancestor! Don't hide behind your pathetic reasons, you're just not being true to your feelings!"

He advanced forward, his magic intimidating Bain.

"Tell me the truth, Anne!" he bellowed "Why are you really acting like this? What is it that drives your behaviour towards me?!"

Anne simply looked up at the whirlwind of dark magic, looked at how it began destroying her world piece by piece before staring at him.

"I don't want to forgive you for what you did," she said as she stepped away from Bain.

Bain roared and lunged for Sephiroth as Anne turned on her heel and ran for the path.

* * *

Anne woke up violently with a shout, startling the servants and she found herself against Sephiroth. She twisted against his tails' grip and rolled off the pile of blankets and cushions.

"Anne, are you alright?" Aerith asked as Anne stared down at her nightgown, growling and shouting out in anger.

"I need to be as far away from him as possible!" she cried as she grabbed her knife from the floor and began running away.

"Anne, wait!" Sephiroth roared as he woke up and even Genesis's binding spell couldn't stop him.

Anne ran down the corridor with Sephiroth hot on her heels. In the chase, she ran down Yuffie's corridors of rune stones and recognised one of the runes. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but she knew what would happen if she used that particular rune. Must have been during her studies. Anne paused to jump and grab the rune stone, using her knife to slice her palm.

"Anne!"

The Wiccan looked up at the Shinto as he stopped around the corner, breathing heavily and staring at her pleadingly.

"Please, please," he begged "Let's talk, we can figure this out…"

She bit her lip, staring up at him before pressing her blood to the stone.

"No, wait!"

"_Bahalta, farshvi_!"

The young Wiccan threw down the rune stone and white smoke erupted and filled the corridor. The Shinto backed away, covering his face and coughing. Once the smoke cleared, she was gone, her magical signature was gone and her aura…just gone. He couldn't feel her in the castle or in the castle grounds. He ran up to the fallen stone, sniffing around to try and pick up her scent, getting more and more frustrated before roaring out his raw emotion.

"ANNE!"


	24. Chapter 25

"Still no sign of her?"

Zack shook his head glumly as he and Aerith sat in the kitchen, having a cup of tea in the late afternoon. The coyote hybrid eyed the door warily as the cursed king skulked by, his nose close to the floor as he attempted to sniff out the missing Wiccan's scent. It had been about three days since Anne had used a memory spell on the altar then for some unknown reason, to the servants anyway, she ran away from Sephiroth and disappeared. Her scent, aura and self had just vanished. Zack flattened his ears. He missed her.

"Is he really still looking for her?" Aerith didn't look impressed as they heard a soft whine from Sephiroth "She could be home by now."

"She wouldn't!" Sephiroth barked from outside before pricking his ears and running off.

Zack rolled a sugar cube around on his saucer with a sullen look.

"It was going so well," he whimpered "I've never seen His Majesty so agitated for a long time."

"Hmph, he really wants to be human again," Aerith sighed.

"No, no, I don't think so," Zack sat up to look at Aerith who just gave him a look "I know you never liked him because…of your mother and godmother."

Aerith sighed shortly, used to this issue.

"But he is thinking about us too, trust me."

Aerith just sipped her tea again and Genesis stumbled in.

"Aerith, did you feel that just now?!" he exclaimed.

"Feel what?" Aerith frowned.

"That surge! There was a surge of magic coming from the gardens!"

Aerith shook her head.

"No, it must have been dark magic because I can't sense that," she said and Genesis's eyes widened.

"Damn it!"

He then rushed out, leaving the young couple with perplexed looks.

* * *

"Angeal!"

Angeal turned away from Sephiroth's pacing form to face his lover.

"Genesis, did you sense it too?" he asked and Genesis stared at the makeshift dummy that Sephiroth was circling.

"Was that there before?" he asked and Angeal sighed.

"No, this is where the source of the magic surge came from," he explained "But take a better look."

Genesis stepped to the side a bit to look at the dummy better and his breath hitched when he saw a bright purple spear through it, letting leaves spill out.

"Rosso?" he asked and Sephiroth snarled.

"No," the king grumbled as he held the spear carefully in one paw and sniffed it "This is Wiccan magic."

Genesis's jaw dropped and Angeal pushed it back up to close his gaping mouth.

"You shouldn't be too surprised," he said "She does have a larger core with more dark magic. It's probably beckoning her to use more harmful spells."

"Can you see where she is?"

* * *

Anne stood afar as she watched Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis converse, circling the dummy that she had created and nudging the spear uncertainly. She glanced at her hand which was being encircled by a purple fog of sorts. It had been like this since she had cast her new spell, she would need to research this. She then pulled her collar down to see the rune embedded into her shoulder, glowing bright red. Her concealment was still strong, much stronger than she had anticipated. Probably due to the magic she now held within her.

"No, she's gone, completely gone but clearly she still lingers."

It surprised Anne to realise that her magic's presence had been muted as well as her physical appearance. Really, she expected and invisible spell so she could run and hide, take some time out. She tried to look for Vincent but couldn't find his spirit. He didn't even appear in her dream world. That had frightened her, had he left her? Was she all alone now?

The past three days had been very lonely for the young Wiccan. She ate food that Cid and Angeal made and could only watch and listen to the conversations. She couldn't be seen, couldn't be sensed, couldn't contribute to the social activities without giving her position away. She could grab Yuffie's neutralising rune stone to cancel her concealment early but she was afraid of the reaction it would get her. What if she got hurt again?

Anne raised her head to look at the cursed men, watching them examine her spear and dummy further then trying to track down where exactly the magic surge had come from. They got nothing of course. Anne had experimented a lot in this in concealed form. Any potion she made remained concealed as long as it was on her person. Any spell, however, would make itself known to others the moment it was cast. Especially if it turned out to be a dark magic spell. At least the caster couldn't be traced.

"Anne!" Sephiroth began calling out "Anne, come out! We can talk!"

Anne didn't really want to talk. The image of seeing him hunched over a young woman with a dagger raised to kill haunted her. The Wiccan decided to leave, retreating back into the castle whilst cradling her foggy hand. Back to the library it was apparently.

* * *

After studying that damn spear for hours, Sephiroth threw away the dummy and carried the spear into the castle. It was the late evening when he came into the library and laid the spear out onto a desk before prowling down an aisle in particular to look up a book. His paw hovered over the spine as he turned his head to look at the circle of sofas and cushions in the centre of the library.

"Anne?"

No response but Sephiroth had a gut feeling that there was someone around. That's all he had been using to try and find her. Their bond was masked so he couldn't sense where she was but if he was near, he felt it would try to tell him where she is and what she was feeling. It was just a little tingle but Sephiroth would always try to follow it even though he knew it would only lead him to nothing. He wouldn't be surprised if Anne was around in the library now, she was an avid lover of studying magic.

"Anne, please," he whined "I know you're there. Come out, I'm sorry."

If there was any response at all, it would have been the mouse that scurried from one side of a bookcase to the other. Sephiroth raised his hackles, preparing to attack it but then thought better of it. He grabbed the book he wanted and stormed back to the desk, sitting down in front of it and began reading. After about fifteen minutes, the lines began to blur and his head promptly dropped down onto the pages.

* * *

Anne woke up slowly to the sound of pathetic whimpering. She sat up from her place on her sofa, the book in her lap slipping down to the floor, landing with a soft thud. She frowned as she began to remember just why she was here and turned her head to see Sephiroth at the desk, whimpering in his sleep. Curious, she slowly got up and began to make her way over, ready to hide (yes, hide, despite everything she was prepared to hide whilst hidden) if he suddenly woke up. She reached his side where she carefully brushed some fur out of his eyes and felt a minor surge of magic. He was induced in a magic nightmare.

Anne's eyes fell on the spear in front of him that glowed brightly in the dark room that was illuminated by the moonlight. Of course, it was made out of dark and illusion magic, it was capable of inducing nightmares. Anne felt for her dagger and was about to slice her hand when she remembered it was covered with that strange fog. She hesitated then switched hands to slice her unaffected hand. She carefully reached out and grasped the spear.

"_Mako_."

The spear shattered into several tiny shards. The shards began to fade away one by one and Anne frowned when she looked at her hand to still see the weird fog. Sephiroth stirred and she froze up, ready to dive behind the nearest bookcase. Sephiroth didn't wake up as expected but was still induced in the nightmare. She would have to actually go in to break it.

Anne squirmed at the thought. She really, _really _didn't want to but watching his face contort in agony was just too much for her. Slowly, with her bloody hand, she placed two fingers on his snout.

"_Khohelm, aran_!"

Anne's breath hitched as she felt like she was diving. She closed her eyes when her head started to spin and her ears were met by begging.

"Please, please stop…"

"That's what she said, wasn't it?!"

"It's what they all said!"

Anne winced as she saw a copy of her kick the cursed king with a hideous scowl.

"It hurts, please stop…" Sephiroth whined.

"You never stopped though, did you?!"

Sephiroth yelped painfully as another copy used a spell to attack him.

"I'm sorry!"

"Sorry isn't good enough!" the nine copies said altogether.

Anne approached the brutal scene, pausing as she stepped in some blood. Sephiroth's blood.

"I want to repent…" he whispered hoarsely "Let me repent!"

"Never!"

Anne placed a hand over her rune on her shoulder.

"_Mako_."

A rush of magic surged then left her as she stepped in between the copies.

"Hey, I think that's enough," she murmured.

The copies turned to her sharply with surprised looks before they vanished one by one. All that was left was a bloody and bruised nine-tailed fox and Anne who looked down at him with pity. She sat down and tickled his ears. His eyes opened slowly as the black background faded into a warm garden and he jerked sharply.

"Anne!"

His body morphed into his human form and Anne was quick to jump away.

"I was-"

He stood to reach out and hug her but Anne waved her bloody hand.

"_Farshten_!"

Sephiroth backed away as a visible shield encompassed Anne and he dropped his arms.

"Anne…" he murmured as he looked her up and down.

Anne didn't move as she stood on the spot, watching as he began healing the damage on his body and step forward towards her slightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said "I didn't mean to hurt you, I should have controlled my temper, please forgive me."

"Are you really changed?" Anne asked slowly as she focused her gaze on the grass.

"Yes, yes, of course," Sephiroth nodded.

Anne didn't meet his imploring gaze and hunched her shoulders.

"I shouldn't have used the memory spell," she murmured softly but Sephiroth was able to hear it "But when you promise me something, at least follow through with it."

"You can talk to me," Sephiroth smiled as he placed a hand gingerly on the shield "Anne, you can trust me. I trust you."

Anne shuffled back, hunching her shoulders and nodding, murmuring something about trusting him. Sephiroth brightened up briefly but was a little put out when the shield didn't disappear. He pulled away and it still remained before he let realisation dawn on him and he transformed back into his fox form. As he suspected, the shield disappeared and he rushed over, nuzzling Anne happily and snuffling her hands. Anne giggled a little until his nose hovered over her foggy hand and Sephiroth pulled away to take a better look.

"How long as it been like this?" he asked as he used a claw to swirl the fog a little, watching it shift around it.

"A few hours," Anne commented then sheepishly ducked her head "The illusion spear spell."

"Hm, this means you used too much dark magic," Sephiroth explained "You'll need further training to balance your magic."

"Is that possible?" Anne asked "I think my core is mostly dark magic by now…"

"Potions exist to help you balance your light and dark magic," Sephiroth assured her.

"I'll be looking for the recipes then," Anne smirked a little as Sephiroth growled softly "Admit it, I don't need alchemy lessons from you."

Sephiroth nosed the side of her head and snorted gently. Anne cuddled his head and Sephiroth relished the touch, his tails hugging her tightly around her waist.

"We should get you treated," the cursed king sighed regretfully.

"Alright th-"

"ANNABELLE SUSANNA LOCKHART-VALENTINE!"

* * *

Vincent watched as Angeal sipped his tea uncertainly. Now he was visible to him as well as the king and Anne, he wasn't sure if he liked this situation. Angeal looked up at him uncertainly and let out a breath.

"I'm not used to conversing with ghosts," he chuckled nervously.

"I wouldn't get used to it," Vincent said sharply as their gazes met "Once those shrubs are in full bloom or the curse is broken, I'm taking Anne with me and we're leaving."

Angeal swallowed uncertainly.

"His Majesty won't be happy."

Vincent wasn't the only one who was concerned about how close the king was getting towards the Wiccan. Angeal ran a hand through his hair, his ears twitching and he looked up to where Vincent was perched on the counter.

"I'll admit it, I'll miss her," Angeal smiled "She's like a little daughter to me."

Vincent narrowed his eyes and jutted his chin out.

"For someone who assisted the killings, you seem to be a rather fatherly figure."

Angeal's smile disappeared immediately as he glared at Vincent.

"That was years ago."

"Girls that were Anne's age and younger were slaughtered on that altar."

"I never directly killed anyone."

"Why did you help? You had enough power to at least stop the deaths of some of the children."

Angeal opened his mouth but was interrupted.

"Angeal?"

A tired looking Genesis came into the kitchen and looked at him.

"Who are you talking to?"

Angeal smiled slightly as he stood and greeted his lover with a kiss.

"No-one," he said whilst giving Vincent a side look "let's go to bed."

He ushered him out and Vincent snorted at him. He then decided to check in on Sephiroth, examine Anne's spear for a bit to check her skills.

Since the little incident a few days ago, Vincent couldn't find Anne anywhere which meant she couldn't see him. He could feel the surges of unmistakable Wiccan magic here and there and was content to know she was practicing. He would be a little bit happier if he was around to supervise her.

When he entered the library, he was met with an alarming sight. Before him was Sephiroth slouched across a desk whilst Anne lay next to him in a very uncomfortable looking position. His eyes went over to where Sephiroth was grumbling a little happily before he strode over to enter the dream world.

He was met with another sight that he hadn't quite prepared for. Anne was cuddled up to Sephiroth in his beast form and smiling. He hesitated. She looked really happy. He felt his lips twitch a little at the scene and sighed softly. At least she wasn't hurt.

Wait… Vincent's face hardened. He had a few things to tell her. He took in a deep breath before breaking the serene aura.

"ANNABELLE SUSANNA LOCKHART-VALENTINE!"

The couple jumped sharply as they glanced over at Vincent who stormed up to them with a fierce glower.

"L-Lockhart-Valentine?" Anne commented feebly and yelped as Vincent pulled her to her feet by her shoulders.

"I ought to clamp a magic restraint on you!" he shouted "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?! You don't know how to control this amount of magic! Supposing that concealing spell propelled you into a different dimension?! Supposing you got caught in the timeline with that memory spell?! You would be stuck at that point in time as it distorted and twisted around you with little to no chance in escaping!"

He breathed heavily as Anne stared up at him with wide, alarmed eyes.

"D-Done?" she squeaked and yelped as Vincent began shouting again.

"Done?! Done?! When will you get it into your head that you could have _died_?! You could have been trapped in a living hell! You wouldn't even be able to come back as a spirit form! You will most likely be forbidden to cross into the nether world if you don't start to be careful in your magic handling!"

Anne tensed up in his grip as Sephiroth stood, still in his beast form.

"Sorry?"

"SOR-?!"

Vincent gave up, took a step back, rose his hand that wasn't encased in a gold gauntlet and slapped her sharply. Anne staggered back as Sephiroth snarled and grabbed Vincent's wrist.

"Don't you touch her!" he growled.

"It's called discipline," Vincent said dismissively as he pulled his wrist out of the king's grip "Something which your mother never understood."

Sephiroth snarled but Anne quickly lashed out to stop him.

"He's right, I should have known better," she murmured whilst rubbing her cheek.

"You were scared, he shouldn't condemn you for that," Sephiroth murmured back as he nuzzled her red cheek.

"And the memory spell?" Anne said as she looked up at him.

"I should have reassured you that I would have let you when the time was right, all my fault," Sephiroth cooed as he nuzzled her neck.

Vincent stepped back warily and eyed the affections Sephiroth gave to his great-granddaughter, who seemed oblivious to his fondness. With narrowed eyes, he turned away.

"Get her hand treated right away," he said before disappearing out of the dream world.

Sephiroth just held Anne close, relishing in her magic aura once more.


	25. Chapter 26

Anne and Sephiroth meditated under the chandelier, a small ball of energy moving back and forth between them. Sephiroth was completely at peace whilst Anne seemed a little bit agitated, the ball wavering slightly when it passed towards Sephiroth. This is how Vincent found them today, pleased that Sephiroth had chosen a suitable method to train Anne's magic and that Anne was improving. He watched a few more minutes until the energy ball dissipated. Sephiroth opened his eyes.

"We still have ten minutes until dinner."

"…"

Vincent frowned, Anne was just sitting there with her eyes closed.

"Anne?" Sephiroth prompted as he got up and moved towards her.

"…"

She took in a deep breath and Sephiroth's ears pricked.

"Are you ready to start again?"

Anne let out a long sigh.

"…"

She then promptly fell over backwards.

"Anne!"

Vincent and Sephiroth sat on either side of her, checking for her health before Vincent sighed.

_"She's sleeping; this exercise must have exhausted her more than you had anticipated."_

Sephiroth scooped her up in his arms and placed a claw over her bosom.

"Sarasu."

Anne groaned in her sleep as her core was exposed and Sephiroth carefully examined it.

_"No."_

Sephiroth glared at Vincent.

_"She has enough magic,"_ he said _"You said that you would give her enough magic equal to that of an average Wiccan."_

"Kakusu."

Sephiroth gently set Anne down then loomed over the spirit who just gave him an unimpressed look.

"What about you?" he asked challengingly.

_"My core is the result of my ancestors and their practice of the Chaos magic,"_ Vincent explained _"It wasn't something I necessarily desired."_

He folded his arms and glared elsewhere.

_"I don't want her to have as much Chaos as I do,"_ he said _"If she transforms into…"_

"It will be grand, wouldn't it?"

Vincent glared at him.

"I want Anne to achieve her full potential, think of what she could do…"

_"I won't let her turn into your mindless pawn!"_

Sephiroth snarled as Vincent readied a spell to attack.

_"You so much as try to put another ounce of magic into her and I'll be taking her away with me!"_

Sephiroth roared, making the room shake as Vincent stepped back warily.

"Yurei!"

* * *

Angeal and Genesis glanced at each other worriedly when they heard Sephiroth's roar.

"I thought they were meditating?" Genesis whined and Angeal hung his apron up.

"I'm going to check, just make sure nothing boils over or catches fire!"

Angeal ran down the corridors, towards the ballroom where the roar had come from. He hesitated when he heard loud crashes and yelling from inside then opened the doors. He saw Vincent crouched at Anne's side, his gauntlet raised as he scoured the ceiling. Angeal blinked in confusion.

"Mr Valentine?" he said warily and Vincent glanced at him.

_"Leave!"_ he barked _"It's not safe!"_

Another roar was heard and Vincent looked up again.

_"Farshten!"_

A shield encompassed both Anne and Vincent as the room shook. Angeal jumped with wide eyes as Vincent looked at him again.

_"Now!"_

"What's going on?!"

Vincent's barrier broke and he flexed his gauntlet.

_"Blafan, blitze!"_

A bolt of lightning struck an object, giving Angeal a brief outline of Sephiroth before it faded.

"Your Majesty?!"

Another roar and Vincent sent bolt after bolt at the king. Apparently he knew where to cast because he hit his mark most of the time. Angeal's eyes landed on Anne's unconscious form and ran across towards her. Vincent then cut through his path after Sephiroth got hit again and fell to the floor, revealing himself. The deceased Wiccan glared at Angeal who returned it.

"She could get hit," he said.

_"I was being careful,"_ Vincent flared his nostrils.

"Get…"

They both glanced at Sephiroth who got to his feet and glared at them.

"…away from her!" he snarled as static electricity ran through his fur "Kasai, yurei, kogeki!"

_"Farshten!"_

Angeal stepped back as the fireball hit the shield Vincent drew up and persisted against it, trying to break through. Vincent stepped back as well, as if he could feel the same heat as him then glanced at Anne who was still sleeping. He then glared at Sephiroth before crouching down beside her.

_"Farmorgen."_

He disappeared and the shield disappeared with him. Thankfully the fireball dissipated and Angeal rushed to check Anne's condition.

"How is she?" Sephiroth asked.

"Stable," Angeal muttered and he looked up at him "What were you fighting about?"

Sephiroth growled as he nudged Anne's head.

"He didn't like the idea of Anne growing stronger," he explained then pulled away "Something's…off…"

Angeal opened his mouth to question but Anne moaned softly, her eyes slowly opening.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, dinner is just ready," Sephiroth said as he nudged Anne to her feet "Then we can get you ready for another magic boost."

"…Really?" Anne looked up at him "Don't I have enough?"

"No," Sephiroth shook his head and Angeal frowned "You need more, your core is still weak."

Angeal wanted to beg to differ. Sure, Anne was capable of having more magic but her core was far from weak. She nearly roasted Zack a month ago anyway, if that was weak then what wasn't?! Anne's reaction caught them both off guard.

"Oh," she said in a rather disappointed tone "I see. Excuse me."

She got up, scooped up her Book of Shadows beside her and began walking out.

"Anne?" Sephiroth blocked her path "What's wrong?"

Anne stared up at him for a few minutes before taking her dagger out and slicing her palm.

"_Gyakt_!"

She whooshed past Sephiroth who roared angrily.

"VALENTINE!"

* * *

The servants in the kitchen jumped as they heard a second roar. Genesis paled.

"What?" he murmured as everyone began scrambling out to see what the commotion was about.

A blur past them, followed by Sephiroth storming through and finally Angeal stopped in front of them.

"…Everything is under control," he said after taking a deep breath.

"Clearly not!" Aerith exclaimed as Luxiere and Kunsel began chasing after Sephiroth.

"What's going on this time?" Cid asked gruffly as he folded his arms.

Another roar shook the castle and more crashing happened as Angeal took a moment to explain.

"It's complicated," he said.

"Loveless is complicated, Angeal," Genesis folded his arms "Just tell us what Anne did now…"

"Anne didn't do anything…" Angeal bit his lip.

"What did His Majesty do now?" Aerith sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

Angeal opened and closed his mouth as he tried to consider what to say. He folded his arms and sighed.

"…We know that Vincent Valentine escaped the coffin."

"Yes," was the collective answer as more roars echoed through the castle.

"And he went on to continue his bloodline, Anne and her sister being the last ones that we know of."

"Yes."

Angeal took in a deep breath.

"Because Anne is the only one to practice magic, she is considered the last of kin to have Valentine blood and because her mother, the only traditional teacher available for her to continue the magic, passed away she has been teaching herself magic, however when wanting to pursue further Vincent Valentine himself appeared to her to help her training alongside His Majesty thus leading to many disputes between them, because history, and this dispute in particular has to do with her magic core and Vincent has possessed Anne for some reason or another and His Majesty is not very happy with it."

Angeal took in another deep breath as he let his words seep into his confused audience.

"So…we've been living with a ghost?" Zack tilted his head.

"Ghost?!"

Yuffie yelped, jumped and landed on Cid's back, clutching onto him in terror.

"Oi, Yuffie!" Cid exclaimed as he tried to get her off.

There was a loud crash as Sephiroth roared again.

"They're outside!" Kunsel yelled as he ran past, rather bruised.

* * *

Sephiroth's eyes glinted when Vincent tripped over in the courtyard and the triplets surrounded him in Anne's body, wary and growling. Sephiroth leapt forward and raised his hand with a spell on his lips but froze when Vincent turned to him, looking rather scared. Sephiroth hesitated briefly until a wicked smirk formed on Anne's face.

"See?" he taunted as he got up with arms folded "You can't attack me because you will hurt Anne and you don't want that."

Sephiroth growled as he raised his hackles.

"Cowering behind your descendent, how spineless!" he snarled.

"Just ensuring our safety," Vincent shrugged as he turned to the triplets "You lot wouldn't hurt us either, would you?"

There was a confused look exchanged as Vincent chuckled.

"We'll be taking Poppy then leaving," he announced and Loz whined.

"But…" he whimpered.

"No!" Sephiroth growled as magic crackled in his fur but Vincent tutted, waving a finger.

"You can do nothing to stop us," he said.

"Coward!" Sephiroth roared as the other servants gathered behind him "Weakling!"

Vincent just smirked but it was brief. He stumbled and held his head with a pained hiss suddenly and everyone's ears pricked as he yelled out.

"Stop!"

Everyone backed off as Vincent screamed and fell to his knees. A brief moment later and Sephiroth saw Vincent manifest next to Anne's body who looked up sharply.

"What on Gaia is going on?!" she barked.

Sephiroth was at her side, nosing her head tenderly as they observed Vincent on his knees, struggling to keep his eyes open.

_"He…was going to put more magic than necessary into your core,"_ he said hoarsely _"I was going to take you back home."_

He lifted his head slightly.

_"How did you exorcize me out?"_

"I'm stronger than you think," Anne murmured as she used Sephiroth as a support to get to her feet then looked up at the Shinto "Is this true?"

Sephiroth hesitated as Angeal approached.

"It seems so," he nodded "His Majesty only wants you to advance in your magic practices."

_"By giving you enough Chaos to…"_

Vincent shook his head.

_"And although your core will be able to take twice the amount of magic it holds now, your body is different,"_ he explained and he glared furiously at Sephiroth _"Did that ever occur to you?! Strong in magic but frail in physique, too much magic and she can become crystallised for centuries!"_

"If that's so then I will eliminate her non-magic blood," Sephiroth shrugged.

"No!"

Vincent smirked as Anne stumbled away from Sephiroth, letting Loz be her support as she stared at the king in horror.

"No, my blood is who I am," she protested "My non-magic blood is the only memory of my father!"

Tears brimmed in her eyes as Sephiroth dropped to all fours and nuzzled the side of her face.

"Then I won't, we will find another way for you to accommodate my magic…"

Vincent scoffed.

_"All you want is for her to be a trophy."_

"I do not!" Sephiroth roared.

_"You keep filling her with magic because the more of your magic she holds, the more she is in your control!"_

Anne stiffened and stared up at Sephiroth in disbelief.

"Is this true?" she asked and Sephiroth hesitated "I…I…"

"I don't want you to leave me…"

Sephiroth looked at her imploringly.

"Just…a little more magic and you'll…stay…"

Anne sighed as she shook her head.

"Really, how old are you?"

Sephiroth's ears pricked and he yelped as Anne slapped him sharply.

"All that talk about trust!" she yelled "I trust you to keep your word, help me learn more magic and to not get me in danger. In turn, you can trust me that I won't leave until this curse is gone."

Sephiroth hesitated but before he could speak, her hand was nursing where she had slapped him.

"You can trust me."

Sephiroth stared down at her and Angeal and Vincent were the only ones who could read the emotion in his eyes. Anne let him pick her up and take her back into the castle whilst Angeal and Vincent were faced with ten very confused faces.

"I may have mentioned you loitering around in the castle," Angeal murmured and Vincent sighed, pinching his nose.

_"Not going to do it,"_ he said before disappearing.

Angeal sighed tiredly as he shook his head.

"So…dinner?"

* * *

After dinner, Anne watched as Sephiroth stacked alchemy book after alchemy book, searching for something. She frowned.

"Your Majesty?"

"Sephiroth," Sephiroth snorted and Anne blinked "Call me Sephiroth."

Anne tilted her head to the side.

"Sephiroth…" she said slowly "…What are you looking for?"

"There must be something in these books to help your body cope with magic."

Anne frowned curiously and leafed through the Book of Shadows. Sephiroth's nose skimmed over page after page until Anne's little finger poked it. Sephiroth snorted and lifted his head to see one of the pages in the Book presented to him.

"Would this do?"

Sephiroth picked it up carefully, using a translation spell to read the Wiccan.

"…It's worth a try."

"Also…"

Anne looked off to the side.

"Promise that you won't control me…"

Sephiroth lowered the book and reached out for her shoulder.

"I won't be controlling you," he promised "It was merely suggestive magic that he was talking about."

Anne looked at him with a soft frown.

"I would be suggesting your actions and it would sway your decisions," he explained "I had the power to do that since…"

He tapped her scar and Anne let out a soft 'oh' of realisation.

"Then…when Demetrius…and you…"

"That was me."

Sephiroth flattened his ears.

_"Forgive me."_

Anne laughed as she rubbed his ears.

"You…"

She then took the Book of Shadows.

"I will start preparing then," she said brightly.


	26. Chapter 27

"It's still strange to see you like that."

"I know, it won't last for much longer though."

"Still…"

Zack was trying to stop himself from laughing.

"It's just so ridiculous and it doesn't suit you at all!"

Anne sighed as she lowered her spoon.

"This is the thirteenth and final day, aren't you done with your mocking?!"

Zack began howling with laughter as Aerith sauntered in and hesitated to take in the scene.

"Zack, haven't you gotten over it yet?" she asked with a disapproving frown.

"I'm sorry, Aerith but tell me this," Zack giggled behind his hand "how many people have you seen with purple skin and nails that practically glitter like stars!"

Anne huffed as she grabbed her bowl of porridge and stormed off. Yes, the potion that is supposed to help her body grow stronger to magic is working, however the side-effect was that her whole body turned purple! Anne settled on the steps on the courtyard and began eating her porridge, the warm bowl keeping her warm. She looked up at the bare trees of the winter, frowning when she tried to recall the date. Time always confused her here because there were gaps in her memory that were missing from being delirious. It must at least be January.

Anne's heart stopped as she stared ahead in disbelief. She was nineteen. Her birthday had passed. Lowering her spoon slowly, Anne took a moment to reflect on what happened during previous birthdays. She had spent more birthdays with her sister than with her parents, she had been a little girl when they passed away. Nothing much happened on that day anyway, Tifa may or may not bake a cake, it depended on money. Anne didn't treat her birthday much differently to other days and no one in the village really knew about it. Cloud had been around for one birthday and he gave her a little charm bracelet he made from little monster parts. The sentiment was appreciated at least.

"Miss Anne?"

Anne lifted her head and smiled down at Loz who was in his human form, looking up at her from the bottom of the steps.

"Loz, good morning," she said and Loz wagged his tail as he ran up the steps to sit next to her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yes," Anne shrugged "Zack is still laughing at my current condition."

Loz snorted as he leaned his arms on his knees. He stared at the gates and sighed.

"Yaz and Daj have gone off playing, leaving me on guard duty again," he pouted.

"Oh, sorry to hear," Anne frowned and Loz shrugged, kicking some dirt off a step.

"It's nothing," he grumbled "They've gone off into the woods so they can't go into their human form."

"I find it strange," Anne confessed "How come you three are affected differently by the curse?"

Loz shrugged.

"You should ask someone who actually knows about magic," he said "I don't use magic, but maybe Yaz and Daj can explain."

Anne shrugged and ate some more porridge. Loz's stomach growled and she giggled.

"Want some?" she offered and Loz perked.

"I-I couldn't!"

"I made a bit much for myself," Anne insisted as she pushed the bowl into Loz's hands "Go on."

"Well, if you insist."

Loz began to eat eagerly and Anne smiled, tickling his ears. He really was like a little brother to her except he was older. Loz's tail wagged eagerly as Anne stared at the gates thoughtfully.

"Is something bothering you?"

Anne smirked as Loz looked up with porridge around his mouth and shook her head.

"I just want to explore out there for a short while," she murmured "I haven't really been out there properly."

Loz flattened his ears.

"I don't think His Highness will be pleased at that…"

Anne hummed thoughtfully before clicking her fingers.

"Get Poppy ready," she said as she got up and ran into the castle.

She headed straight to the West Wing where Sephiroth was still sleeping.

"_Khohelm, aran_!"

Anne took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she dove into Sephiroth's dream world. Opening her eyes blearily once it was over, she watched Sephiroth and Vincent talking rather civilly for once. Smiling brightly, she dashed over the small bridge that was over the koi pond and arrived before the men.

"Sephiroth!" she said happily and it jolted the two of them.

"Anne," Sephiroth smiled as he stood.

Anne stepped back a little and he hesitated before morphing into his cursed Shinto form. He nuzzled the side of her face and stared into her eyes.

"What can I do for you?" he asked and Anne tilted her head to the side.

She put on her most adorable face, one that only Vincent could resist, and batted her eyes sweetly.

"I would very much appreciate it," she purred softly "If I could explore the woods outside of the castle grounds."

Sephiroth hesitated and pulled away.

"Anne…"

"Loz will be with me, I won't be unprotected!" Anne pleaded "I'm just curious about the area, because you know I haven't once set foot out there for…"

Anne counted her fingers and stared ahead in surprise.

"Around three months…" she murmured and Vincent stiffened.

"Are you alright, Anne?" Sephiroth asked at Anne's fallen face.

"I'm fine…"

"Sephiroth, is this Loz reliable?"

Sephiroth turned to Vincent before looking away in thought.

"Out of the three that can leave here, he is the strongest," he murmured.

"Anne, is your potion still in effect?"

"Oh, yes," Anne murmured as she remembered her altered appearance was only on her physical form "It should wear off this afternoon."

"I don't see a problem with her exploring the woods for a short while then," Vincent nodded and Sephiroth spluttered "The potion will help her defence if attacked."

"Wait a moment!" Sephiroth snarled "I have a problem with this!"

He turned to Anne sharply.

"Rosso might be out there!"

"You said she had left the kingdom," Vincent frowned.

"For now."

"Sephiroth, I can take care of myself," Anne implored "And Loz will be helping me and Kadaj and Yazoo won't be too far away, I won't go too far from the castle and…"

"Alright!" Sephiroth snapped as he sighed "But the moment, the very _second _danger appears you will be back in the castle, is that understood?"

Anne's eyes lit up happily and she threw her arms around Sephiroth.

"Thank you!" she cried "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Sephiroth hugged her back briefly until she let go and ran out of his dream world. He turned to Vincent with narrowed eyes.

"Why…?" he began growling and Vincent held up his hand.

"We have work to do," he said with a calculating smile.

* * *

"Loz!" Anne called as she ran out into the courtyard after grabbing a cloak "Oh good, you got Poppy ready!"

"Well…yeah you told me to…" Loz murmured and hunched his shoulders whilst keeping Poppy steady "Is his Majesty alright with you exploring the woods?"

"Yes, of course," Anne grinned as she mounted Poppy "As long as you're with me anyway."

"Oh, OK!" Loz grinned as he morphed into his wolf form "Ready to run?"

Anne nodded as she dug her heel into Poppy who squawked and ran out through the gates. Loz followed after, running around the red Chocobo eagerly. Anne sighed as she felt the wind brush across her face. Her hood fell off as she navigated Poppy into the overgrown woods. She looked around curiously at the abandoned houses as Loz began leaping over massive roots and scaring away little creatures.

"What happened when the curse was cast?" she asked curiously and Loz paused to look up at her.

"Well…"

They all jumped when a roar echoed throughout the kingdom and Loz flattened his ears.

"His Majesty just asked Yaz and Daj to go back to the castle," he explained as Anne placed a hand over her heart whilst looking in the direction of the castle.

He cleared his throat as they began wandering through the woods slowly.

"Well…they left."

Anne tilted her head as Loz flattened his ears.

"The curse only affected the castle and the castle grounds," he explained "and everyone outside the castle were scared because well, His Majesty is very powerful."

They stopped and Loz sat in front of two rocks with his ears drooped.

"And anyone who didn't have magic blood and tried to get into the castle were killed."

He lay down and whined pathetically.

"At the night of the curse, we were sneaking into the castle to take a look at this woman who supposedly caught the king's heart," he murmured "We were in the courtyard when the curse was cast and…"

He looked to one of the rocks.

"…our sister hadn't snuck in yet and was killed once she set foot into the castle grounds."

Anne's face fell as she slipped off Poppy and crouched down to cuddle Loz.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as Loz whimpered.

"Mother died shortly after when she tried to get to us during the morning," he explained "And because all the villagers lacked the magic blood to enter the castle, they all left."

"And anyone who lacked the magic blood in the castle got caught up in the curse then?" Anne clarified as she ran her fingers through his fur.

"Yes," Loz nodded.

"Were there really only ten others…?"

"Rosso killed most of the servants after she cursed the castle and ran," Loz sighed "It was just us seventeen that were left here. I don't know what will happen if the curse isn't lifted in time."

"I'll try my best," Anne promised and Loz nuzzled her.

"You're very kind," he mumbled softly.

A growl interrupted the moment and Anne gripped Loz's fur as he raised his head to growl.

"Ssh, I'm going to see what it is…"

"But…!"

"Keep an eye on Poppy, I'll be right back."

Loz whined as Anne got up and began walking deeper into the woods. He got up, took Poppy's reins and began pulling her gently towards where Anne had gone to. Poppy suddenly squawked and began flapping about. Loz let go to turn and tensed as he saw Anne trying to approach a Coeurl.

"Miss Anne watch out!"

"Ssh!" Anne hissed as she held up a finger to Loz, her other hand busy trying to calm the creature down.

"It's a Coeurl!"

"I know, isn't she beautiful?" Anne smiled then slowly waved Loz away "I'll be fine, just keep a distance."

The Coeurl growled, its whiskers sparking with energy as Anne got to her hands and knees to start crawling carefully towards it. Loz felt agitated but he knew if he did something Anne would be in trouble. But if he didn't do something Anne would still be in trouble. He whined, what should he do? He watched resignedly as Anne got within touching distance and stroked the Coeurl's back. There was a very tense pause until the Coeurl purred and Loz's jaw dropped.

"Miss Anne?"

"Loz, come a little closer but make sure your head is lower than hers."

"Um…"

Loz flattened himself to the ground and began shuffling over bit by bit until he was beside Anne. The Coeurl lowered her head to sniff his scent before relaxing and nodding as if in approval.

"I've never been so close to a Coeurl before," Anne sighed as she continued stroking her "I've only seen them in books."

The Coeurl purred and licked Anne's face. Loz snuffled.

"Coeurls are dangerous, we shouldn't be here," he mumbled.

"They aren't aggressive," Anne frowned "They attack only when attacked. It's such a shame there are so few of them left because…"

She sighed.

"Well because most people want them for their fur," she said sadly "Loz, can we take her back to the castle?"

Loz straightened up.

"What?!" he exclaimed and the Coeurl growled.

"Head down!" Anne hissed and Loz lowered it quickly, flattening his ears and making himself look submissive "Loz, she's heavily pregnant and I think the gardens might be a better place for her to have her litter."

She then tickled the Coeurl under her chin.

"Plus I'm very good with helping creatures with their young," she said with a grin "I've handled baby Chocobos, baby Cactaurs, baby Tonberries…"

"Baby Tonberries?!"

"They're so adorable when they're trying out their training knives," Anne squealed and Loz just stared at her "Please, Loz? She'll just be staying in the gardens and she won't hurt a soul…"

A bolt of lightning struck a mouse nearby and the Coeurl snapped it up for a snack. Anne grinned innocently to Loz who looked exasperated.

"What will His Majesty think?" he asked.

"Well he should be alright with it as long as she doesn't go into the castle," Anne shrugged "Please, Loz, please?"

She pouted as she hugged the Coeurl and Loz sighed.

"Fine," he grumbled "But if she hurts you…"

"I have magic blood, I'm an equal in her eyes," Anne smiled "So long as I give her respect, which I do…"

The Coeurl purred and licked the top of her head affectionately.

"I'm going to call you Cinnamon," Anne declared with a bright smile as they got up.

Cinnamon purred as she followed Anne happily, growling at Loz warily as he followed them reluctantly.

* * *

Kadaj and Yazoo stared at them in disbelief when they arrived.

"Our job is to keep monsters out, you know," Kadaj pointed out as he eyed Cinnamon.

"Why didn't you keep the Behemoth out from a few weeks back then?" Anne asked and Kadaj scowled.

"Have you ever fought a Behemoth before?" Yazoo asked as he tossed his hair back.

"No, but Bain wasn't looking for a fight, we just played around for a bit," Anne placed her hands on her hips "Just keep an eye on Cinnamon whilst I go and talk to Sephiroth…"

"No!"

Loz and Anne raised their eyebrows as Yazoo and Kadaj hesitated on the spot before Yazoo cleared his throat.

"Uh, well, magical maintenance on the castle is being done and it's dangerous for people to go in at the moment…" Yazoo said slowly before turning to Kadaj "See if you can get anyone's attention."

"Uh…right!" Kadaj nodded before scurrying around the corner to find a window.

"I'll put Poppy away," Loz muttered as he took Poppy to the stables.

Anne actually didn't need to wait for long until Vincent phased through the doors and stormed up to her.

_"A Coeurl?!" _he exclaimed as he eyed Cinnamon _"And a pregnant one at that?! Anne, what have we told you about bringing monsters back home?!"_

"Oh come on," Anne pouted and Yazoo frowned in confusion "I thought you'd be sympathetic at least…"

_"Valentines are known for dealing with plants, not creatures!" _Vincent hissed and folded his arms _"How did you even manage to approach it?!"_

"Well I know Coeurls are approachable so long as you give them respect," Anne hummed.

_"…"_

Vincent sighed.

_"Your studies, I know but still…" _he muttered _"Behemoths, Bandersnatches and now Coeurls, maybe there is some other blood within you that is helping you getting close to creatures."_

"Ow!"

Yazoo stared at Anne after a cut appeared on her hand and Vincent stormed back into the castle with her blood on his gold gauntlet.

"What was that just now?" he asked and Anne shrugged, cradling her hand.

Aerith came out and stared at Cinnamon in disbelief.

"I was very much hoping that this was one of Kadaj's jokes," she sighed as she slowly approached her.

Cinnamon looked up at Aerith as Anne watched her come closer and smiled. Aerith knew how to handle creatures too.

"Her name is Cinnamon," she said brightly and Aerith sighed.

"At least it's a Coeurl and not a Malboro…" she murmured and Anne simply grinned "I know that grin, young lady, don't tell me there's a Malboro lurking nearby…"

"No, not nearby," Anne giggled as Aerith knelt beside Cinnamon and placed a hand on her side.

"…It'll probably be nice to have some young spirits around," Aerith smiled "Although His Majesty might not approve."

"He doesn't know yet?" Anne tilted her head.

"Kadaj only went and spoke with those in the kitchen," Aerith explained "That was just me, Cid and Angeal."

And Vincent by the sounds of it too… Aerith got up, dipping her head low and urged for Anne and Cinnamon to stand as well.

"I have the perfect place she could make into a nest," she said as she led them around the castle.

"What's this magical maintenance thing then?" Anne asked and Aerith paused for a minute then smiled.

"Well, it's to make sure that the castle is supported properly before His Majesty puts more magic in you," she said "You nearly set the castle up in flames last time."

"I did?!" Anne exclaimed and looked ahead "Wow…"

Aerith led them to a large bush at the back of the garden with a small entrance that Cinnamon could just about squeeze into.

"When I was a little girl, my mother was a lady-in-waiting so I grew up here," she said with a soft smile as Cinnamon began sniffing around it curiously "Zack was a serving boy and we used to play all the time around here."

"That's sweet…" Anne smiled but then her smile faltered "Um…"

"I know what you're thinking," Aerith sighed "My mother would be alive and mixed up in the curse hadn't…"

Aerith looked away with a distasteful look.

"You have noticed that out of all the servants it is only Genesis and I are the only ones with magical blood other than His Majesty and you?"

"Hm?" Anne frowned "What about Yuffie?"

"Yuffie uses the rune stones to help her use magic," Aerith explained "Over the time of the curse, she has perfected the art and there is a spark of magic in her blood, however it wasn't how she was born. She's just like the first magic users, the magic allowed her to become one of us."

"Luxiere and Kunsel, I've seen them use magic," Anne tilted her head "Yes, I remember on the first day, I swear…"

"You've seen their collars?"

Anne frowned thoughtfully, somewhat remembering the collars the soldiers had in their dog forms and nodded slowly.

"They don't really show them when they're in human form," she said.

"Those collars allow them some control over magic but only for communication purposes," Aerith explained.

"Huh…" Anne frowned "I thought Angeal had magical blood…"

"He's merely an alchemist, a natural alchemist as opposed to a magic one. Cid, Zack and the brothers don't have magic blood so that just leaves Genesis and I."

"Hm, you'd think for a family with magical blood that the monarchy would…"

"Anne, remember why Rosso placed the curse in the first place!" Aerith cried out and stepped away to cover her mouth, shaking softly.

Anne looked startled at the outburst before her jaw dropped.

"Their own servants?!"

Aerith let out a quiet sob.

"Genesis is the king's childhood friend, so he was spared," she whimpered "Zack managed to hide me away until he convinced them that I shouldn't be sacrificed but out of all who had magic blood, us two were the only survivors."

She sniffed as she wiped her tears away.

"Well, of course Vincent and Rosso got away too…"

Anne was covering her mouth in horror, watching as Aerith stood there, hugging herself.

"There were too many betrayals during the time of the sacrifices," she whispered softly as Cinnamon pawed at her dress with a soft mew "and for what?! For power! His Majesty deserves this curse!"

She sighed and clenched her fists.

"If only we didn't have to get caught up in all of this," she whimpered "Otherwise I would care less for His Majesty's fate."

Anne looked downcast as she shuffled awkwardly.

"Um, do you know how my ancestors came to be sacrificed?" she asked.

Aerith looked away momentarily before shrugging.

"I'm not sure, they were most likely tricked," she said "They were near the end of the sacrifices, Queen Lucrecia must have lured them here."

"Vincent tried to assassinate Sephiroth's father before the sacrifices even began, they must have known one another."

Aerith looked surprised as she cupped her chin in thought.

"Why don't you ask him?" she suggested "His spirit lingers, doesn't it?"

"He doesn't like looking back," Anne grimaced.

Aerith sighed.

"I don't really remember any assassination attempts on the late king," Aerith hummed "Valentine…I know that Lucrecia had a close friend called Grimoire…"

"Vincent's father," Anne nodded.

"She must have tricked the clan," Aerith shook her head "She was always very deceitful and cunning."

Anne sighed as Cinnamon began preparing the bush for her litter.

"It's cold, can we go inside?"

"Uh, well, how about the library?" Aerith suggested as she pulled Anne towards the library windows.

They settled by the sofas where they could keep an eye on Cinnamon and Anne blinked when she saw Vincent staring at a couple of books. Aerith saw them floating and gasped, bringing his attention towards them. Vincent strode over and Aerith shrieked even more, startling Anne.

"Aerith, it's OK…" she tried to calm her down.

_"Your mother's name," _Vincent said as he crouched down to Aerith who was trembling _"…Ifalna was it?"_

Aerith lowered her eyes and nodded.

"Yes…" she murmured and Vincent sighed.

_"You bear a close resemblance indeed," _he said as he placed the books down and sat by Anne's side _"We were acquainted, our families were very close."_

Anne assumed that Aerith could see Vincent too as she nodded and Vincent sighed, leaning back.

_"This explains a lot," _he said as he turned to Anne _"The reason you do so well with creatures is because you and Aerith have a common ancestor."_

"We do?!" both girls exclaimed.

_"The Valentines and Heartillies were two branching forms of Wiccans," _Vincent explained as he showed the girls a family tree _"Aerith is descended from the Heartillies, though her Wiccan blood is very weak, dominated by the Gasts' natural healing abilities."_

"What of my mother's magic? Her maiden name was Gainsborough…"

_"No, it wasn't," _Vincent grimaced _"Your mother had to hide and change her identity."_

"What, why?!" Aerith exclaimed and Vincent sighed.

_"You and your mother are part of a different race, the rarest species of magic induced creatures," _Vincent explained _"In fact, I believe you may be the last one."_

Aerith looked faint and Anne reached out to touch her shoulder.

"This is a lot to take in," she murmured and Vincent nodded.

_"I understand," _he said _"Anyway, the Heartillies are efficient in communicating with creatures and taming them, the Valentines are efficient in growing and using plants and alchemy."_

"Hang on, if you didn't know about the blood being within me…"

_"That's where your father comes in," _Vincent looked a little irritated _"However weak it may have been, your father had minimal traces of Heartilly magic in his blood."_

"My father had magic blood?!"

Anne looked beyond confused.

"No, he died because his blood didn't work while attempting to use a Wiccan ritual…"

_"Exactly, it wasn't strong enough," _Vincent explained _"Frankly, it's a miracle that you managed to get some traces of Heartilly within you."_

Anne placed her head in her hands as she processed this.

"It does explain how he managed to stop monsters from coming near us…" she murmured with a soft frown.

Vincent grimaced as he closed the book.

_"It was nagging me," _he said _"How you managed to tame that Behemoth especially and without a taming pendant!"_

"Wait, you tamed a Behemoth?" Aerith looked at Anne incredulously.

"Just a young one," Anne shrugged "If it had been older and capable of using magic I wouldn't have risked going near it without my taming pendant."

She sighed solemnly.

"I miss it," she pouted "I want to go out and find more creatures to meet…"

_"This isn't a zoo, young lady!" _Vincent said in a scolding tone and Anne pouted _"I won't allow you to bring in anything from a dragon to a griffin or to a, Gaia forbid, a Tonberry!"_

Anne raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"How about a Malboro?"

_"You are definitely not going to go anywhere near Malboros!"_

Anne cackled, apparently Vincent didn't know everything about her.

"I hear happy things in here!"

They all turned to see Zack prancing in with a goofy grin on his face. He then burst out into laughter and Anne pouted, folding her arms.

"It won't last very long still!" she reminded him as Aerith rolled her eyes.

"What brings you here, Zack?" Aerith asked and Zack grinned.

"Ballroom, now," he said and Aerith's eyes lit up.

"Coming!" she grinned and began dragging Anne along.

"Aerith?" she said and looked at Vincent who began following them, a smile on his face "I don't like that smile, it's out of character!"

Vincent laughed as they made their way to the ballroom. Aerith grinned as she urged Anne to open the doors. Anne looked suspicious but reached out to open the doors.

"Surprise!"

Anne shrieked as mini fireworks went off and the rest of the servants were in the ballroom with Angeal's cooking served on a couple of tables, decorations pinned up and the chandelier glistening beautifully.

"Ah, ah, what?!"

Sephiroth moved forward and nudged her forehead with his nose.

"It was your birthday a while ago, wasn't it?"

"But how did you know…?!"

Anne turned towards Vincent with narrowed eyes.

"I knew I smelt something suspicious when you let me leave the grounds," she grumbled and Vincent just smirked.

"Happy Birthday, Anne!"

Anne jumped as Yuffie levitated in between her and Sephiroth then handed her a small box.

"Open it, open it!" she cheered and Anne smiled, tugging the ribbon off and lifting it to examine it.

Aerith and Zack recognised the rune stone instantly.

"_That_ rune?!"

"What, she seems to know how to use it," Yuffie shrugged as Sephiroth growled softly.

"Anne, darling," Genesis grinned as he dragged Anne over to the tables "Look what Angeal made!"

Anne covered her mouth in awe.

"That's a big cake," she murmured and Angeal chuckled.

"Cid and I worked hard on it," he said as Cid just grinned.

"Yeah, just hope it suits your taste!" he said with a thumbs up.

Anne closed her eyes and grinned.

"Thank you," she whispered as tears fell down her cheeks "I've never felt so happy before!"

"Hey!"

Anne opened her eyes and looked down to see that the potion had just worn off.

"Well, let's get this party started!" Zack cheered as he ran in "Cut the cake, cut the cake, the brothers are eager to try some too!"

"Patience Zack," Angeal chuckled as he gave Anne the knife.

* * *

The celebration went on for a while and for a moment, Anne felt no pressure on her anymore. She wouldn't admit it, but being the key to lifting the curse, it weighed on her shoulders and she didn't like it. But seeing all their smiles, Anne knew that no matter what she had to save them, liberate them. If only she knew what to do.

Sephiroth left the ballroom early and a few hours later, Vincent was supporting her tired body up the stairs, everyone else had either run off or were staying to clear the ballroom up.

"Thank you…" she murmured and Vincent smiled.

_"Anything for my descendant."_

Anne rolled her eyes.

"You do this for every descendant?"

_"You're my first student, let's see how your own descendants turn out shall we?"_

Anne laughed as they stopped outside her bedroom.

_"Anne, West Wing."_

Anne perked up and Vincent turned his head towards her.

_"Anne?"_

"Sephiroth wants me in the West Wing."

Vincent hesitated and growled softly.

_"Indeed? Do you need my support or…?"_

"I give you permission to possess me," Anne grinned and Vincent rolled his eyes.

As he disappeared Anne stumbled but Vincent took control quickly. It was very easy to tell it was him in charge by the way he stormed through the corridor and made his way to the West Wing. It certainly caught Sephiroth off guard as a grumpy looking Anne glared up at him after slamming the doors open. He growled softly.

"Really, Valentine?" he snarled and Vincent huffed, folding Anne's arms.

"She's exhausted, what do you need her for? She'll have the magic transfer tomorrow but only a little, I'm still worried about whether this potion will actually work."

"So hostile and this morning you were actually agreeable," the cursed king sneered.

"Now remember what we talked about," Vincent waved a finger at him "and considering the situation at hand, who do you think she favours more…?"

Sephiroth snarled and loomed over him.

"Get out, leave us in peace."

Vincent sighed as he closed his eyes and a sleepy Anne was looking up at him next.

"Seph…roth?" she slurred and Sephiroth carried her over to the pile of blankets and pillows.

One of his tails touched her on the forehead and she slumped against him. He closed his eyes to join her in his dream world.

* * *

Anne's jaw dropped at the sight in front of her. Sephiroth had altered the dream world to be night time with a full moon and the night sky was littered with stars. Candles floated around the lake and fireflies darted around them as Anne looked down to see a silver ballgown.

"My lady."

Anne turned to see Sephiroth in his human form, wearing a smart black suit. He offered his hand with a smile.

"May I have this dance?"

"I-I-I do n-not know how to d-d-d-"

"Then let me teach you."

Sephiroth took her hand and led her across the bridge to the grassy area on the other side.

"Don't be afraid," he cooed "you know I wouldn't hurt you. Oh, and Happy Birthday."

Anne eyed him warily before letting him place a hand on her hip and they began an awkward waltz amongst the tiny lights. Meanwhile Vincent observed them from leaves of the lone tree in the garden, his gauntlet flexing impatiently.


	27. Chapter 28

Aerith wrapped her shawl around herself tightly as she petted Cinnamon's belly, using diagnostic spells to keep an eye on her health. Cinnamon purred softly and Aerith smiled a little. Her smile wavered a little after some time.

"I hope you stay this docile after the pregnancy," she murmured as Cinnamon stretched, yawned and curled up "We'll have to make sure no-one disturbs you with your cubs. Probably won't stop Anne."

Speaking of which… Aerith glanced at the castle with a worried look when she heard the loud revving of the chainsaw that materialised with Anne's new Chaos form. With a tired sigh, she murmured a warming spell. There was a very good reason, other than to check on Cinnamon, why she was staying out in the garden.

Cinnamon suddenly let out a growl and Aerith turned to her in alarm when she began getting up, tail and whiskers sparking.

"Oh, you're starting to go into labour!" she exclaimed as the large cat wriggled out of the bush and began pacing around it.

* * *

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

"Call her off! Call her off!"

"This is madness!"

Zack was leading the chase as Anne, in her recently obtained Hellmasker form.

"Sephiroth!" Genesis bellowed, his eyes sparking with fierce anger "Call your demon off!"

"The chainsaw is harmless, don't be so terrified!" was the dismissive call.

Cid ducked into the kitchen and Anne slowed down, letting Zack and Genesis escape into the corridors. The chainsaw slowed down as she lifted her mask, her eyes sparking eagerly.

BOOM!

Cid froze in his hiding place as the doors flew across the kitchen and he trembled. Anne sauntered in with a grin, pulling the mask back over her face and revving her chainsaw up again. As she did, sparks of magic flew all over the kitchen, setting fires, turning objects into other objects and making plants grow. Cid held his breath, even when the plates above him began vibrating as Anne began preparing another spell.

"Yuffie to the rescue!"

Anne turned on her heel sharply as Yuffie came charging through the doorway and brandished her rune stone.

"Nadameru!"

She threw it and Anne caught it, gripping it tightly which caused the Chaos in her body to cancel the spell. She hesitated and her arms flopped down.

"You've got to be kidding me," she grumbled.

"The magic leak isn't as much compared to the last two times!" Cid called from his hiding place as Anne grinned "Her brain isn't scrambled enough for sneak sleep spells to work!"

"…"

Yuffie turned on her heel and fled.

"Run for your lives!" she shrieked as Anne's chainsaw roared when its owner began the pursuit.

* * *

Angeal jumped at the loud boom from his bedroom, his eyes hardening when he realised where it had come from.

"Someone's in my kitchen," he growled as he stormed out.

He was bowled over by a frantic coyote. Aerith gasped as she morphed back into her human form.

"Angeal, I'm so sorry!" she cried out as Vincent strolled by, amused by the spectacle.

_"In a rush, child of Heartilly?" _he asked as Angeal sat up, rubbing his head.

"Your great-granddaughter is taking the castle down, I have to get in and out fast," Aerith huffed and Vincent just smirked.

"Can't you get her to stop?" Angeal asked as Aerith helped him up.

_"It's faster for her to work off the excess magic," _Vincent grinned sadistically as yells of terror echoed in the corridors.

A roar sounded outside and Vincent frowned.

_"That Coeurl sounds agitated…" _he commented and Aerith gasped, remembering why she had come into the castle in the first place.

"She's going into labour! I need towels!"

* * *

Yuffie flattened herself on the ceiling of her usual corridor whilst waiting for her chaser to pass. Her rune stones were out of sight with her as well, she wasn't going to let a chainsaw wielding maniac use them. She waited and waited and waited. She shivered as a roar echoed from the gardens and she gasped as Angeal and Aerith began rushing across the corridor.

"No, not that way!" she shrieked and they looked up at her in alarm "Chainsaw Anne is coming this way!"

"Oh!" Aerith cried out in frustration and turned to some space "Vincent!"

Yuffie frowned at her as she glared at that space.

"Cinnamon's going to make a mess in my flowerbeds without those towels!"

"And most likely mine if she doesn't," Angeal folded his arms.

There was a clatter and Yuffie gasped as Anne stood on the other side of the corridor, apparently no-one had heard her come in. Her chainsaw lay at her feet as she stared at the pair.

"Cin…amon…" she uttered as her getup began dissolving away "Cinnamon… Cinnamon!"

She fell to her knees and held her head.

"Arrrggghhh!"

"Anne!"

Aerith and Angeal rushed up to the collapsed Wiccan as Yuffie lowered herself from the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" she asked and Aerith glanced at some space before looking at her.

"She's trying to become self-aware but the magic leak is making it hard for her," she explained as Angeal pressed a hand to Anne's forehead.

"She's burning up!"

Anne's head moved from side to side as she whined.

"Cinnamon…"

"Cinnamon?" Yuffie frowned.

"That's what Anne named the Coeurl outside," Aerith explained as she prepared a healing spell but her magic glow faded as she looked up at some space.

"Aerith, what's wrong?" Yuffie whined and Aerith and Angeal glanced at one another.

"The last thing she needs is more magic flowing through her," Aerith replied.

Cinnamon roared again and Aerith jumped to her feet.

"Towels!" she reminded herself and Anne hissed.

"Dry…" she whispered and Aerith looked down at her "Wet…shock…bad…"

"Dry towels," Aerith nodded and was about to run off until Anne grabbed her skirt.

"Cinamon, she," Anne groaned as Angeal scooped her up "know…to do…urgh, lay them down, leave her be, stay far away…"

"Alright, don't worry, she'll be fine," Aerith nodded as she ran off.

* * *

Vincent watched as Angeal bustled around the kitchen, sitting by Anne's side on the kitchen table.

_"Remember, no Angelica," _Vincent said _"It will add more magic to her system, she might burn up."_

"Yes," Angeal nodded after a moment "It's a simple repair potion, it will just fix any damage the magic might have done to her body."

"What happened?!"

Vincent looked up as Sephiroth stormed into the kitchen and hovered over Anne, nosing her forehead.

_"She tried to break out of her deliriousness early,"_ Vincent explained as Angeal came over with a bowl and ladle.

"She needs to drink this as soon as possible."

Vincent leaned in towards Anne, the possession spell on his lips until Sephiroth snarled.

"No," he said and Vincent glared at him.

_"She may choke."_

"I won't allow you to possess her."

_"She'll understand the situation. Who are you to question me?"_

"Your Majesty, allow him," Angeal sighed "The potion will be more effective the quicker it gets into the body."

Sephiroth snarled as Vincent smirked and continued the possession spell.

_"Farmorgen."_

Sephiroth watched Vincent animate Anne's body and manipulate it to drink the potion. He didn't like the way Vincent just settled into his descendant's body so easily. This was the third time he had taken a hold of her.

"It doesn't hurt her."

Sephiroth blinked as he saw Vincent looking up at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Possessing her, it doesn't harm her," Vincent reassured him "Her soul rests during the possession and in return, I can help her."

"How…?"

Vincent smirked as he leaned back, placing the empty bowl beside him and tapped the scar under Anne's eye.

"The magic leak may not affect me because I don't have access to her personal magic in her core," he explained "But any exterior magic sources I can use."

Sephiroth snarled and Vincent chuckled dryly.

"You have no right to use our bond."

"You had no right to mark her like she belongs to you!"

"She d-"

Sephiroth caught his words just in time but Angeal and Vincent knew what he was about to say.

"Your Majesty," Angeal sighed "Don't tell me that you have lost sight of Anne's original purpose."

Sephiroth glared at the floor and snarled.

"What difference does it make?" he scoffed "Either way, I must prove myself to her."

"I could care less for your situation," Vincent murmured as he pushed some of Anne's hair out of the way "However, you can't force her feelings."

He gave Sephiroth another venomous glare.

"And if you force your feelings on her, it will not end happily ever after."

* * *

Aerith watched from the safety of the library as Cinnamon lay down on the towels that she had laid out in and around the bush. It was a good thing Anne had told her to get out of the way, Cinnamon was sending thunderbolts everywhere during the labour process. Aerith watched as the large beast lay down and ripped some of the towels.

"I've never actually seen a Coeurl before."

Aerith turned and tilted her head curiously as Anne stood next to her, folding her arms and watching Cinnamon. There was something off about her…

"They're not common," Aerith agreed "Are you feeling better?"

"Anne will be fine after a rest, the magic leak will stop by the end of the day hopefully."

"Excuse me?" Aerith frowned.

"It's me, child of Heartilly," Anne glanced at Aerith and Aerith recognised Vincent somehow.

"You can just call me Aerith."

"…Very well, Aerith."

"Why are…you…?"

Vincent smirked as he leaned against the window, looking up at the bookshelves.

"It's nice to be alive," he sighed "It won't hurt Anne, she's just resting."

"Doesn't it feel strange?"

Vincent snorted.

"A body is a body," he said with a shrug "Either way, I'm temporarily alive and it feels much better than being dead, believe me."

Aerith turned her attention back to Cinnamon as Vincent glanced at the fixed portrait of Lucrecia and Sephiroth. Awkward silence fell upon them as neither decided to speak anymore.

* * *

Genesis was walking past Anne's bedroom to see her pacing, the Book of Shadows in her hands. With a curious frown, he stepped in.

"Anne, sweetie?" he said and Anne glanced at him "You're not still cuckoo, are you?"

"There's no need to mock such a fascinating creature," Anne sneered uncharacteristically before looking down at the Book of Shadows "You would expect a Rhapsodos to be more intelligent than that."

"Excuse me?" Genesis spluttered.

"Still, you grew up with that spoiled brat," she heaved a sigh as she perched herself on the bed "I shouldn't hold you to the same standards as your father."

Genesis opened and closed his mouth a couple times before narrowing his eyes.

"Who are you and what have you done with Anne?"

Anne chuckled and shook her head, eyes on the Book of Shadows.

"Anne's fine, she's just resting until the magic leak goes away," she replied "I believe you've heard of me. My name is Vincent Valentine."

Genesis raised his eyebrows as he stepped further into the room.

"Why are you using Anne's body?"

"I told you, silly boy, the magic leak should fade by the end of the day and that means quiet time for you and your non-magic friends," Vincent huffed as he lowered the book slightly to glance at him.

"You…were acquainted with my father?"

"Your family," Vincent nodded "You were very young when I last saw you."

"When you tried to kill the king."

Vincent sighed wistfully.

"Indeed, you and that alchemist must have been no older than a decade."

Genesis perched himself on the bedroom window sill, eyes trained on him.

"You're nothing like your descendent."

"If she was anything like me, she would be far away with all of you running around here with no humanity."

"If you really don't like being here, you can leave."

Vincent glared at Genesis before drawing his dagger and murmuring a soft spell.

"And leave her all alone here?" he said as he waved his hand to summon small balls of light "I'd rather not. She's too naïve, someone needs to keep an eye on her."

He drew more blood to let some parchment, a quill and some ink fly off the vanity and land next to him. The bottle of ink landed with a little more force than needed, spilling its contents all over the blanket. Vincent growled.

"There is too much magic in this body," he grumbled.

"It's not as much as you had," Genesis folded his arms.

"I grew up with that amount of magic and my body adjusted accordingly. This body is still accustoming to it, he shouldn't have put magic in to begin with."

"It's not hurting her…"

Vincent snarled again and Genesis spotted how the eyes became slits and the skin turned purple.

"The first time she transformed, she damaged her core!" he snarled "Thankfully that was all the damage that was done, however she still needs time to recover! Your pompous fool of a king won't listen to me."

"His Majesty's magic can heal…"

"And what has he used his magic for in the past, child of Rhapsodos?" Vincent asked as he shook off the transformation "Where did this magic come from?"

"There's no need to just focus on…"

"Your parents' souls were used to create magic for him!"

"Shut up!" Genesis snapped as he glowered at him "I had no power over Queen Lucrecia sacrificing my family and neither did Sephiroth at the time!"

He breathed out harshly as he glared furiously at the Wiccan.

"We were twelve and yes, I was upset," Genesis spoke calmly "But I forgave him. I was there when he begged his mother to spare me and my family, I am grateful that he saved me and I let it go."

He tilted his head.

"Why can't you?"

Vincent remained silent as the door opened and Angeal stepped in.

"Genesis, did you get injured when Anne…?"

"I'm fine," Genesis smiled at him as he wasted no time crossing the room to hug him "Luckily she wanted to go after Cid, Zack and I made our great escape."

Angeal wrapped an arm around him as he glanced at Vincent.

"There is no need to bring up the past," he said and Vincent snorted, slitting his palm and using a cleaning spell to clear up the spilt ink.

"Loyal, how fortunate for him," he muttered as he stood, waving the balls of light away.

"Vincent, nothing will be achieved if you bring up what His Majesty did all those years ago," Angeal said sternly and Vincent scoffed "Anne has moved on."

This caught his attention. Vincent snapped round to look at Angeal who folded his arms.

"At least, she isn't holding a grudge like you," he said "I'm not sure how long it's been, but you've been harbouring some hatred since you escaped, haven't you?"

Angeal saw the way Vincent clenched his fists and grimaced.

"I care for Anne like a daughter and over these past couple of months, I have seen her interactions with His Majesty. You may have been focusing on him, but with Anne…"

He sighed as he ducked his head sheepishly.

"There is something there that wasn't there before," he said and Vincent crossed the room to glower up at him "You can't manipulate her."

Vincent hesitated and watched as Genesis dragged Angeal off. He stared at the closed doors before turning and going over to the parchment, ink and quill. He took the quill, took a moment to think and began writing.


	28. Chapter 29

Anne always carried that piece of parchment with her and it was annoying Sephiroth. Vincent had gone back to the spirit world and Anne looked lost during the past two weeks of rather boring peace. She felt lost too, Sephiroth could feel it clearly in their bond. Surely, she wasn't that close to him? Sephiroth watched as she sat in the garden, playing with the Coeurl cubs, there were five in Cinnamon's litter. He watched from the library windows, a few books open around him. He had been studying up on repairing any possible damage to the magic core, however it seemed that the core was capable of healing itself, so long as it isn't strained.

Should be simple enough, Anne hadn't touched anything magic, other than the Couerls, for the last few weeks. Sephiroth wanted to take a closer look at her core, just to examine it for any damage. He approached the windows, opening one and sticking his nose out. A snarl cut through the garden and he glowered at Cinnamon. It was alright for Anne and Aerith to go near her cubs but not him? She let Zack of all people carry one cub the other day!

_"Anne."_

Anne didn't move.

_"Anne?"_

Still no movement.

"Anne!"

Cinnamon roared and Sephiroth dodged a thunderbolt.

"Stupid bloody Couerl," he grumbled _"Anne! Come to the library. And leave those cubs out in the garden!"_

One had slipped into Anne's bedroom after following her there and it took a while to fix the damage after he got a bit…excited. Anne stood up, the baby Couerls mewing as they tried to follow her. Sephiroth sneered down as they pawed at the glass, mewling pathetically. He then focused on Anne who was still looking dazed, in her own little world. Clasped in her hands was the message Vincent had left behind.

"Anne."

No response. Sephiroth sighed as he tipped her chin up and she looked at him in surprise, as if she had just woken up.

"Your Majesty?"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and Anne flinched.

"I mean Sephiroth…"

"Anne, even he can't stay in this world forever."

Anne sighed as she sagged her shoulders.

"I know that…" she whimpered "It's just so…abrupt…"

"Anne, it's been two weeks."

Anne, again, looked surprise. Sephiroth rolled his eyes.

"You haven't exactly been with us," he said slowly and Anne stared at him curiously "Even when we share dreams, all you do is stare into space whilst playing with those wretched monsters that appear…"

"Don't call them that!" Anne shrieked and Sephiroth sighed.

He stepped away, shook his head and took a deep relaxing breath.

"Forgive me, your behaviour has been disturbing me," he explained and Anne folded her arms, crouching by the window to entertain the cubs "What exactly did he write to you about?"

"That he was going to restore some energy whilst in the spirit world," Anne muttered "That is all."

"Anne, do not lie to me…"

Anne turned away and Sephiroth hissed as he felt her digging her nails into the scar, into their bond.

"Anne, be careful with that!"

"I know I promised to follow your every order but Gaia damn it!" Anne shrieked as she turned to him "It's a family matter, Valentine blood only! None of your business!"

Sephiroth looked down at her before dropping to all fours and nuzzled the side of her face.

"I'm sorry," he cooed as he sent soothing emotions through the bond and Anne relaxed a little "I'm sorry…"

He nudged Anne away from the window and onto one of the sofas. He curled around her, tails wrapped around her waist as she leaned against his body.

"It's just…"

His ears pricked as books began moving to and from the shelves whilst Anne began murmuring.

"He filled in the father role for me in a way here," she said "Yes…he was the strict father, always scolding us whenever we did something…"

"I thought Angeal was the father role."

Anne paused to think for a moment and frowned.

"Angeal is a different father," she decided "I don't know, I guess with Vincent it's more real seeming as we are related by blood."

She leaned out and scratched his ears gently.

"Especially since we always got into trouble," she grinned and Sephiroth snorted "Still, I wouldn't replace Tifa with you but you still are the best brother I would ever have."

"Brother?!"

Sephiroth straightened and stared down at her in bewilderment.

"_Brother_?!"

"Yes?" Anne whimpered as she shied away from him.

Sephiroth hesitated before slumping a bit.

"Huh."

Anne giggled as she turned in her place to rub his side and comb his fur. He let out a content rumble as her tiny fingers threaded themselves through his silver hair.

"I treat everyone as equals," she said "Bandit, Cinnamon, Crystal, Terry, Torqal, Max…they're all part of my big happy family!"

Sephiroth snorted as he looked away, slightly sulky.

"…Who is this Max?"

"Hm?"

"Bandit is that Bandersnatch," Sephiroth mumbled "Cinnamon is the Couerl outside, Crystal…she's the Cactaur?"

Anne nodded and Sephiroth snorted.

"Terry and Torgal are those Tonberries," he continued mumbling and sat up "How did you manage to befriend them anyway? They aren't really trustworthy. All you could know is that they're out to kill you."

"Well after one slight mishap…"

Sephiroth glared her down.

"…Can't you believe that I do have little mishaps once in a while?"

"Tonberries don't cause 'slight mishaps'_._"

Anne sighed as she folded her arms.

"Fine," she grumbled "It was just a little…"

Another glare.

"…Alright, Torgal gave me a wound, it wasn't that bad…"

"Anne, I know when you're lying…"

"I healed it so it wasn't that bad and stop being such a nosy parker!"

"Anne!"

"Fine! I could have died if I wasn't of magic descent so please leave it alone!"

"Just as long as it doesn't happen again," Sephiroth grumbled as he lay his head down.

"Anyway, a Tonberry's knife is a magic blade so using magic with the blood drawn from that, I was fine! I used a warning spell to show Torgal that I was of magic descent then healed myself. He has never tried to stab me since."

Sephiroth snorted.

"So this Max…"

"He must be busy to take care of my sister," Anne sniffed.

"You're dodging the question."

"Now, you were such a worrywart when I was telling you the story of Torgal, I don't think the story of Max is for the faint of heart like yourself."

"Anne!"

"Oh, new book!"

Sephiroth tugged Anne back as she tried to grab one of the books on the table in front of them and snorted.

"Anne…" he whined and Anne stared at the books.

"Wiccan Culture: Health and Conditions?"

Sephiroth looked up at the book and remembered why he had summoned her here in the first place.

"Ah, yes," he murmured "I wish to examine your magic core. Your ancestor mentioned damage to your core…"

Anne clenched onto the piece of parchment and Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. So he had mentioned it to her.

"I see, that's why you've been avoiding your studies," he said "I just need to check it, Anne. See if I can speed up the healing process…"

"So you can put more magic in?"

"That wasn't my first thought," Sephiroth nuzzled her cheek and whined as she turned away "Anne…"

He sighed as she turned her back to him and lowered his head.

"…If you're my sister then I have to take care of you."

Anne glanced at him and he pricked his ears.

"Valentine isn't here, Angeal can't use magic, Aerith and Genesis haven't studied this book to know about your core so…"

Anne sighed as she reached over to scratch his ears.

"Fine. But if you do really want to put more magic in, this will be, and I really mean it, the final time."

"Deal."

Sephiroth nuzzled her neck happily.

"Sarasu."

Anne gripped his tails as her core, much darker than before, was exposed and Sephiroth nudged it carefully with his nose. Vincent was right, her core was damaged. But not as much as Sephiroth had expected, it should be fine within a few weeks. Sephiroth lifted his nose and stared Anne straight in the eye.

"Final time?"

"Very, very final."

Sephiroth nuzzled her forehead as he exposed his own core and towered over her. Her hands gripped his as tendrils shot out of his core and encircled hers. Anne yelped as she stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Isn't this…?" she breathed as objects in the room began shaking "…a bit…much?"

"It'll be fine," Sephiroth soothed as he nuzzled her face lovingly _"It will be alright, just relax and accept it…"_

If this was the final time then he was going to have to give her quite a bit…

* * *

"Good work."

Weiss eyed his blade warily in his lap as Rosso turned to Nero to look at his weapons.

"This magic…" he murmured uneasily as Rosso took one of Nero's guns and began doing diagnostic checks "It won't harm us, will it?"

Rosso snorted.

"Such lack of faith," she sighed "This magic will protect you."

"And it will kill the beast…then Anne will be free from the possession?"

"It normally works that way," Rosso smirked "With that creature gone, the young girl won't be victim to the source of dark magic possessing her, therefore the curse will be broken and she shall be free."

"Supposing it will be too late when we get there?"

"Patience," Rosso cooed as she lowered Nero's gun and turned to Weiss with a sly smile "I will go to check on her condition and then lead you there. It's such a shame that magical weapons can be such a chore without the right tools."

"It's not like we're a village of magic," Nero grimaced "Heck, we burn witches."

"Well, those we can catch," Weiss snorted as Rosso glared at the brothers "Magic is the source of doom and turmoil, we shouldn't be doing this…"

"This Anne," Rosso hummed "is your fiancée?"

"We're competing for her hand in marriage, yes," Weiss nodded.

"Hm…"

Rosso was silent for a moment and she smiled sweetly.

"Magic will help her, I promise," she said "You just need to follow every one of my instructions. The magic will assist you only if you follow its rules. It can be very fickle, especially with those of non-magic blood."

"Why?" Nero frowned.

"Survival of the fittest, natural selection," Rosso sighed "Magical beings such as us learned how to wield and use magic, we pass down those traits to our children and magic develops in the blood."

Nero and Weiss exchanged a wary look and Rosso chuckled.

"No need to worry," she reassured them "Only extensive use of magic will affect your blood. You will be only using them for…maybe a couple of nights, it depends on how powerful that creature is against us. You may forge new weapons and give those magic induced ones to me."

"You can't just remove the magic?" Nero asked as he clutched onto his guns.

"If only magic were that simple," Rosso simpered "Once in something, it is stubborn to come out. Humans, it can be easy however magic induced objects that are forged by hand are trickier and too much of a hassle. It would be a waste."

The brothers lowered their heads, taking the information in. Rosso huffed a little. They were so slow but seeing their hunting talent, they will be able to at least distract the cursed king. Rosso bid goodbye and stalked out of their home, heading towards the inn where she was staying at. The townspeople, although mistrusting, were easy to manipulate. All it took was for them to fit the older Lockhart's, that blonde hunter's and her own story of the castle to be able to fit pieces together and have the information correlate. Humans were so simple minded; they always jump to the simplest reason for everything. Rosso grinned to herself as she stepped into her room to prepare her blades. Everything was just fitting into place nicely.


	29. Chapter 30

Anne purred as she nuzzled Sephiroth's head affectionately. Sephiroth snorted as he turned a page in the book he was reading. He read as quickly and efficiently as possible. Anne had been leaking magic for two weeks now and he was worried. There was nothing to suggest how longer she would be like this and Sephiroth was trying to find something to help clear the leak. They were running out of time to break the curse and it would be helpful to have Anne be able to be sound of mind. Sephiroth's thoughts and concentration flew out of the window as Anne placed a big kiss on the top of his head.

"Foxy's so cuddly…"

Sephiroth smiled slightly as he sat up straight, making her slide off his back with a disappointed whine. He turned to her and gathered her into his arms, cradling her to his chest. Anne snuggled into him with a happy noise as he placed a hand over her head, nosing her head and pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Anne, you're very precious," he whispered and Anne sighed softly "You won't remember any of this but nonetheless, I wish to say it."

"Fluffy, fluffy Foxy…"

Sephiroth chuckled as he held her closer.

"Anne…I…"

"Your Majesty?"

Sephiroth gave a side glare to Aerith as she walked into the library.

"Is the magic leak really still in effect?"

Sephiroth nodded, patting Anne's hair down and stroking her cheek.

"Normally the magic is rubbing off onto others in her human form," Aerith frowned as Anne smiled at her goofily and swatted at her coyote ears.

"She's been learning to contain it," Sephiroth shrugged and Aerith snatched Anne's hand to tickle her palm.

"Vincent said that she should be working off the magic, it would be better for her," Aerith tilted her head to the side.

"She hasn't been in the mood, she's just been lax and gentle with everyone," Sephiroth shrugged as Anne squealed "I don't want to force her."

"It's not force if you consider the possibility of disciplining her," Aerith sighed and played with Anne's hand for longer.

She glanced down at the petite hand and hesitated.

"Your Majesty, is this normal?"

Sephiroth glanced at where Aerith was pointing and frowned when he saw a tiny purple crystal in the middle of Anne's middle fingernail.

"It wasn't there before," he commented and Aerith hesitated.

"Anne, sweetie, can you stand up?" she asked as she began tugging Anne off Sephiroth's lap.

"But Foxy…warm, cuddly…" Anne whined.

"I know, dear, but it'll just take a short while. Stand for me, please?"

Anne pouted as she was pulled off Sephiroth's lap and Aerith walked her a couple of paces, looking her up and down. Sephiroth watched silently as Aerith pressed her hand against Anne's midsection.

"…Your Majesty, are you able to sense anything different from Anne?"

"Perhaps," Sephiroth shrugged "She feels different after every magic transfer."

"…"

Sephiroth jumped as Aerith twirled Anne around and began undoing her dress.

"Aerith!"

"Cold!" Anne squeaked as Aerith heaved the dress off and began unlacing her corset.

Sephiroth looked away, growling.

"Must you?" he asked as Anne let out another squeak, complaining about how cold it was.

"Your Majesty, look!"

"As much as I want to…"

"You pervert, it's just her stomach, LOOK!"

Sephiroth glanced at Anne, who was standing still, complaining about the cold with her underdress rolled up so her stomach could be seen. His eyes widened. Light purple crystals were dotted around her stomach like some sort of horrendous growth. They looked like they were pulsating. Sephiroth crouched down before the girls and nosed them curiously, feeling lots of dark magic lurking within them. Anne flinched as he did so and he backed away.

"This hasn't happened before," he growled.

"What are they?" Aerith asked as Anne yawned and looked up at the bookshelves.

"They feel like…magic…"

It was difficult to explain exactly. It was as if the magic leak had decided to take shape of these instead of coming out of her body normally. He stared at the leech like crystals, at a loss for words. He hadn't seen anything like it before. What could have caused them?

_"Strong in magic but frail in physique, too much magic and she can become crystallised for centuries!"_

Had he put too much magic in her?! Sephiroth bristled as he turned to the door.

"ANGEAL! GENESIS! LIBRARY! NOW!"

He picked Anne up and laid her down on the sofas as Genesis and Angeal stumbled in.

"Your Majesty?" Genesis groggily murmured.

"Angeal, examine her condition and find something to slow down those…things," Sephiroth ordered "Aerith, help him. Genesis, we need to look for anything to do with cases of people becoming crystallised."

"Excuse me?" Genesis blinked as he tried to process the order.

"Anne!"

Angeal was at Anne's side in a flash staring at the crystals forming on her stomach with wide eyes.

"How did this happen?!"

"I'm cold, Daddy," Anne pouted and Aerith shushed her.

"We know, we know," she murmured "She's got one on her hand, here."

As Aerith lifted her hand, she shrieked. The crystal on the fingernail had gotten bigger. Angeal carefully touched one of the crystals and hissed, snapping his hand back.

"Angeal?!"

Angeal stared at his smoking hand.

"That stung," he murmured as Genesis ran over to look at Anne.

He bent over to sniff the crystals and recoiled.

"That is some fierce magic," he whispered as the pulsating crystals shifted "…?!"

Everyone watched in horror as two crystals grew big enough to start moulding together, very much like two water droplets merging into one.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Genesis muttered and yelped as Sephiroth pulled him back.

"Genesis! All books on Wiccan health! NOW!"

"Right!"

Angeal looked Anne up and down.

"I haven't seen anything like it," he murmured as Anne began shivering from the cold.

"Should we move her to the fireplace?" Aerith suggested.

"Yes…and no magic induced fire, we don't want to do anything that might trigger the growth to grow faster."

Anne was lifted by Angeal as Aerith ran to the fireplace to prepare it.

"Daddy, you smell funny," Anne mumbled and Angeal hushed her, lying her down by the fireplace.

"Don't move, I'll get some cushions."

Aerith managed to spark the fire alight and used the bellows to start spreading it. She glanced at Anne and stared at her feet, they were beginning to get crystals as well.

"Is it painful, Anne?" she asked.

"What?" Anne looked confused and lost.

"Anne, don't move," Angeal whispered as he placed a cushion under her head.

He hesitated before standing her up.

"Daddy, my legs feel funny…"

"I'm sorry, Anne, but I need to take this off to get a better look…"

Aerith covered her mouth as Angeal whipped the underdress off and stared the crystals forming around her arms and neck.

"Daddy?"

"It's like it's consuming you…" Angeal said in horror before laying Anne back down onto the cushions "Stay here, Aerith, keep an eye on her."

"What's going on in here?" Zack stuck his head in.

"I'll tell you in a minute, Zack!" Aerith called as she used the underdress to cover up Anne as best as she could when Zack glanced in their direction "Just go!"

"What's that on her feet…?"

"Just leave, now's not a good time!"

"But…"

"Your Majesty!"

"Angeal, do you know something to slow it down?" Sephiroth glanced at Angeal as they were approached.

"You didn't heed Vincent's warning," Angeal looked beyond furious.

Sephiroth hesitated.

"I…" he looked aside as Genesis looked up from his book.

"Warning?" he echoed.

"Get that excess magic out of her," Angeal barked as he pointed to Anne "If it's so easy for you to pour magic into her, then you can easily get it out."

"I don't take orders from you," Sephiroth snarled.

"I don't want her to become crystallised!"

"Neither do I!"

"So get that magic out of her!"

"There has to be another way…"

"No, I want that magic out of her now!"

"Why? So she can limit her potential?"

"I won't let you turn her into the monster you are!"

Angeal flinched as the words just tumbled out and Sephiroth snarled. Genesis winced and cleared his throat.

"It says here that the only way to avoid the crystallisation…" he spoke up and Sephiroth turned to him sharply "…I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but in the cases that have been listed here, they managed to stop the crystallisation by taking the excess magic out."

"Then look harder!"

"We don't have time!"

Everyone turned to Aerith who looked as pale as a sheet.

"Her whole stomach is encased in that stuff…"

Everyone ran back to Anne who was still shivering and complaining about the cold. Her whole midsection indeed was swallowed up by the crystal.

"Her whole back is covered in those things too…" Aerith whimpered as Anne hugged herself.

"…My arms feel strange…" she whimpered.

"Your Majesty, we don't have much choice."

Sephiroth looked down at Anne dolefully before snarling.

"Aerith, keep that Coeurl and her cubs at bay," he said as he gathered the Wiccan up in his arms.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Aerith darted out into the garden to stand by Cinnamon and her cubs. Sephiroth walked out afterwards, ignoring Cinnamon's attempts to warn him away.

"Sarasu," he whispered and Anne whined as her core was exposed "…Oidasu!"

Anne screamed as magic shot out of her core. Black energy poured out and began forming an ominous cloud above them. Cinnamon roared at Anne's scream but Aerith used calming spells to keep her from attacking. Anne clutched her core and stared up at the black cloud above them with fearful eyes. Sephiroth nosed her head and crooned.

"I know, I know, just a little…"

Sephiroth's words trailed off as he saw the crystals on Anne's arms drop off.

"Kyanseru!"

Anne choked as the magic stopped pouring out and Sephiroth snapped his head up when he heard a resounding roar. Aerith, Cinnamon and her cubs backed away, Aerith clutching her heart with tearful eyes.

"I feel…" she whimpered as Cinnamon tucked her tail in her legs "…like I'm not going to feel happy again…"

The energy that cloud was producing was indeed frightening, even to Sephiroth. He swallowed. So this was the Chaos magic in its purest and scariest form?

"Sc…ared…" Anne whimpered in his arms as she tried to burrow herself into his fur "Sephiroth, what's going on, I…"

"Nadameru."

Anne stiffened before falling asleep. Sephiroth glared up at the cloud as another roar made itself heard.

"What is that?" Genesis asked feebly as he clutched onto Angeal.

"My heart…" Angeal gritted as he clutched his chest "I feel…so weak…"

Sephiroth too felt the fear but he couldn't move. There was a low snarl and Sephiroth's heart jolted as a pair of bloodcurdling eyes opened and gazed down at them. They were paralysing, haunting and damn, Sephiroth felt like a little child but he really wanted to be with his mother right now. Another roar cut through the garden and the cloud began to take shape and swooped to the ground before Sephiroth. Sephiroth stepped back as the eyes glared up at him and the magic took form…of a lizard of sorts. No, a small dragon, or small compared to what Sephiroth had seen.

Its tail was long and spiked, its wings were folded down so it was difficult to discern their size, its claws were unsheathed and sparking with magic, it was something Sephiroth hadn't seen before. It snarled, baring its fangs and Sephiroth was in the library in a flash.

"Baria!"

The dragon roared as it glared at them through the windows when the barrier spell was erected on them and Genesis glanced up at Sephiroth in disbelief.

"What about Aerith?!"

"It isn't interested in Aerith."

No, the creature was glaring directly at him, as if it couldn't see anything else. It snarled more and all three men felt their hearts turn to water as it slowly phased through the barrier, shattering it in the process. It snorted, as if mocking them.

"It feels…it feels…" Genesis whimpered as he held Angeal tighter.

"It's pure Chaos magic," Sephiroth swallowed.

"I haven't felt this…petrified before…" Angeal confessed as he squeezed Genesis's hand.

"Angeal, I love you, I just want to let you know," Genesis whined.

"There has to be a way to stop it," Sephiroth snarled "Raiko!"

A bolt of lightning landed on the creature which snorted again, sounding much like a laugh. The energy was absorbed and the creature roared, making the whole room shake.

"What in Shiva's name…?"

"RUN!"

"FUCKING RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"GET OUT OF HERE, CID!"

Cid was knocked over as Angeal (carrying Genesis) and Sephiroth rushed past him and the creature leapt over him and gave chase.

"This is a nightmare, a nightmare, a nightmare!" Genesis shrieked as he covered his eyes.

"Don't look at it, Genesis!"

"Split up here!"

"Right!"

Angeal turned right towards the East Wing whilst Sephiroth went left to the West Wing. The creature went left after Sephiroth and Anne.

"Shit!"

Sephiroth ran faster as the creature snapped at his tails. It roared and latched itself onto his back. Sephiroth roared in turn as he stopped to shake him off. He was cut off with the creature roaring even louder.

"What is g-what the hell is that?!"

Yuffie turned the corner and watched in horror as Sephiroth tried to wrestle the dragon off.

"Don't just stand there, DO SOMETHING!"

"What exactly?" Yuffie asked as she shook on the spot, staring at the thing in fear.

"You have rune stones, use them!"

"R-Right!"

Sephiroth wrapped his tails around the dragon's and tried to pull it off, roaring in pain as it sunk its fangs into his shoulder. He held Anne close with one arm as he tried to push its head away, stumbling and attempting to slam it into the wall. The creature snorted, unfazed.

"Nadameru!"

The rune stone bonked the creature on the head and it shook it for a while, pulling away from biting Sephiroth. Sephiroth took the advantage and shook it off his back before running away faster. Yuffie teleported using a rune stone. The creature continued giving chase and Sephiroth growled to himself. He quickly slung Anne over his back and began running on all fours, finally getting some distance. The creature roared again as Luxiere and Kunsel charged at it in their dog forms.

"Your Majesty!"

Zack and Angeal arrived on scene and Sephiroth dropped Anne, handing her over to Angeal.

"Hide her in her room, do anything to make sure she's safe," he whispered "Zack, I'll be needing your assistance."

"Right!"

Angeal turned tail and ran as Sephiroth and Zack turned to face the creature that lurked at the opposite end of the corridor. Its maw dripped with blood and Sephiroth snarled.

"You better had not killed them," he growled "For your own sake!"

The creature roared and both he and Zack stepped back.

"…I'm scared."

"…Me too but I can't let it get away for hurting them."

The creature charged towards them and Sephiroth snarled.

"If I take it head on, you can take the advantage from behind."

"Got it!"

They charged after the creature but before Sephiroth could grab it, it pounced and slammed him down to the floor with considerable force.

"Your Majesty!"

Sephiroth roared as he grabbed the creature to wrestle with it. The creature sniffed his chest before snarling and teleporting out of his hands.

"What?!"

Sephiroth turned and growled as the creature's tail disappeared around the corner.

"Check on Kunsel and Luxiere," he ordered Zack before getting onto all fours and charging after the creature "ANGEAL IT'S BEHIND YOU!"

* * *

"Well fuck," Angeal growled as he charged through the corridors.

"Baria!"

Angeal skidded to a halt as Genesis stood behind him, a barrier erected before him.

"Genesis!"

"Just go, Angeal! I'll be fine."

"But…"

"Angeal, if you don't keep that girl safe, I'll make you suffer."

Genesis looked over his shoulder and grinned.

"Love you."

Angeal sighed as he nodded.

"Stay safe."

Genesis turned his head in alarm as the creature appeared and Angeal ran. He winced as he heard the barrier crashing and Genesis shouting spell after spell. Finally arriving at Anne's room, he closed and locked the doors (not that it would do much good) and tucked Anne in the bed. He grabbed one of the bottles from his pocket and threw it at the doors. The amber liquid sparked as a barrier engulfed the doors and Angeal picked out a dark orange bottle next. He struck a match from Anne's vanity and stuck the flame into the bottle. He blew the match out as sparks erupted from it and he held it at the ready, his heart beating with the suspense.

He swallowed as he heard the creature's growls and scuffling outside in the corridor. His breathing grew heavier as sweat collected on his brow and his spine shivered as his barrier shook and the creature phased through the doors, shattering the barrier. It narrowed its eyes at him as his hand shook before throwing the sparking concoction. The creature snapped the bottle up and it exploded inside it. Angeal felt his arms drop and suddenly, he had a moment of clarity. He reached into his pocket again as the creature snarled at him and he held out a bottle with a purple liquid in.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked as he uncorked it.

The creature sniffed once and it froze. It then whined.

"That's right, it's something that I never thought I would ever use," Angeal said slowly "It's a potion that attacks magic within a person and destroy or drain it from their body. You…are pure magic."

The creature whimpered as it lay itself down on the ground, widening its eyes pitifully.

"Not so frightening now, are we?"

Angeal stepped forward slowly. The creature then let out a pathetic cry and looked towards Anne, crying out as if asking for help. Angeal hesitated, looking from it to Anne. He stared down at the creature that was looking at Anne with pleading eyes.

"…You don't want to hurt her," he said in realisation "You just want to be with her. In a way, she's like your mother."

The creature crooned sadly and Angeal withdrew the potion.

"…"

He stepped away and placed the potion on one of Anne's shelves. The creature looked up curiously, narrowing its eyes. Angeal slowly nodded his head towards Anne and the creature leapt and landed on Anne. The Wiccan groaned as it burrowed itself under the covers and wrapped itself around her happily, nuzzling her face. Angeal slowly side-stepped towards the doors and opened one carefully.

He had to wait a while, watching the creature groom Anne, until Sephiroth limped down the corridor.

"Is she safe?"

Angeal pressed a finger to his lips before beckoning him to take a look. Sephiroth snarled at the sight, prompting the creature to snarl back and Angeal to lightly push him out of the room.

"It doesn't want to hurt her," he said soothingly as the creature went back to grooming her "But I still think it's a good idea to just keep an eye on them."

"I'll have Yuffie check in," Sephiroth whispered "Aerith is still in shock so it'll be a while until she can, if it's possible, check on our wounds."

"How is Genesis?"

"Alive. You must be worried."

Angeal breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

"Genesis?"

"Yes, Angeal, darling?"

Angeal glanced at his bandaged lover and stroked his head.

"Was extracting the magic really the only option?"

Genesis snorted.

"Nope, but the other way would have kept Anne a little loony for a while. We don't have the time."

"No, we don't," Angeal agreed "Did that book say anything about creatures forming from the magic?"

"Of course not," Genesis sighed "But that was a gross amount of magic, maybe it varies."

"True…true…"

"It's really scary, why didn't you use that draining potion?"

Angeal hesitated as he glanced out of the window to admire the night sky.

"…At the time, it was just like a little child."

Genesis tilted his head and Angeal sighed.

"I took a shot," he murmured "It just wanted to be where it had come from."

"That poor girl is going to get a fright in the morning," Genesis sighed.

"…Genesis?"

"Hm?"

"About what I said…"

"It was stress, dear, I'm sure he'll forgive you."

Angeal sighed as he closed his eyes.

"…Even a monster can redeem itself," he nodded before yawning and drifting off to sleep.


	30. Chapter 31

Morning was broken by a shriek of terror. Yuffie hit her head on the shelf above her at the noise and noticed a very empty bed without the blankets. She looked around as rune stones fell to the floor and she spotted Anne in the corner, blanket around her body haphazardly and staring at the creature before her with wide eyes. Dark marks littered her arms and ankles but they were going unnoticed it seemed. Yuffie yawned as she rubbed her head and glanced at the fully awake Wiccan, who was trying her best to merge into the wall it seemed.

"Morning?" Yuffie slurred as Anne's feet scraped against the floor to move further from the creature.

"Yuffie!" Anne exclaimed without taking her eyes off the dragon "What is this and how did it get in?!"

"I thought you'd like it," Yuffie frowned as the creature wagged its tail eagerly, looking up at Anne with wide eyes.

"I…"

Anne stared at the creature for a while and whined.

"It scares me," she whimpered.

The creature whined, as if it understood her, and stepped away, crooning.

"I think it really likes you," Yuffie frowned.

She dropped down from the shelf she was perched on and the creature turned towards her, baring its teeth.

"It certainly doesn't like anyone else," she shuddered "No-one else doesn't really like it either."

She backed off when the creature raised its hackles, gnashing its jaws at her.

"What is it?"

"All I know from yesterday was that it was after you, it was attacking everyone who got in the way, nothing could stop it and it came out of you."

"_Came out of me_?!"

"Ask His Majesty. I'll just leave you to get dressed…"

The creature continued growling until Yuffie, arms full of rune stones, left the room and he was back to being the eager little pet he seemed to want to be with Anne. Anne couldn't shake it. This creature, no matter how cute it tried to be, frightened her to her bones.

* * *

"Fascinating…"

"Do you really have to poke those things around at the table?" Aerith asked as she watched Genesis examine the crystals that had fallen off Anne.

"Aerith, this material can be used for rune stones," Genesis murmured.

"My ears are burning," Yuffie chimed as she skipped into the kitchen "What are those?"

"They've yet to cool down," Genesis said as he handled one of the smaller crystals "But this material is very similar to your rune stones. Perhaps you could make your own rune stones."

"Don't plant ideas into her head!" Cid exclaimed as Yuffie's eyes lit up.

"Oh that sounds like so much fun!" she squealed.

"You will need to study making the rune stones," Angeal called over his shoulder whilst buttering the crumpets.

"Aw…"

"Good…"

Everyone shrunk to the side of the kitchen where Angeal was when Anne stepped into the kitchen, the creature around her ankles practically.

"…morning," she sighed as it growled at them "What's for breakfast?"

"Crumpets," Angeal smiled at her as he brought her a plate, not afraid of the creature "You making sure she's well-guarded?"

The creature lunged for him and he dodged, everyone else in the kitchen gasping and shrinking back even further if possible. It growled at him and Anne picked up one of the crystals on the table.

"What are these?" she asked curiously which caused Aerith, Genesis and Angeal to flinch slightly.

"Well…" Genesis hummed.

"You see…" Aerith took a crumpet and fiddled with it uneasily.

"Materials for making rune stones!" Yuffie chirruped.

"Really?" Anne gasped "I actually went into studying the art but not all the books were available."

"There must be more books in the library, let's study together!"

The creature snarled at her and Yuffie backed off to grab a crumpet.

"You'll probably have to wait until they're ready to be melded," Genesis murmured.

"Wow, where did they come from?" Anne whispered as she held the one in her hand to the light "They're so pretty…"

"From you."

Everyone looked at Angeal after his blunt statement.

"His Majesty put too much magic in you," he explained as Anne lowered the crystal down "You started to crystallise and…those were growing on your body."

"Ew!" Yuffie exclaimed as Anne dropped the crystal with a horrified look.

"Oh my…" she murmured, covering her mouth.

She ripped her sleeves back and looked at the dark patches that were on her arms.

"I was wondering why these were all over my body," she said thoughtfully.

"To stop you from turning into crystal completely, His Majesty opened your core to let magic out," Angeal continued explaining and looked down at the creature that was nosing the crumpets curiously "The magic turned into…that thing."

Anne looked at the creature, her jaw dropping.

"It's…it's made out of magic?" she whispered in disbelief and the creature chirruped, looking up at her expectantly.

"…Chaos magic, Anne, are you afraid?"

Anne bit her lip as she continued looking into the demonic looking eyes of the creature and nodded.

"I am terrified," she admitted and the creature whined sadly.

The room was silent as the creature widened its eyes, looking at Anne pitifully.

"It won't hurt you, you're its mother," Angeal reassured her.

"…You said you always wanted children," Zack shrugged.

"This…this…"

Anne continued staring, still processing the information.

"Pure magic…from sacrificed souls…of my ancestors and others…"

Anne stepped away from it and Angeal grimaced.

"…I can get rid of it."

The creature turned to Angeal instantly, wings out, teeth bared and tail slashing the air from side to side. Their audience were practically on the counters, trying to keep as much distance away from it. Angeal stared at the creature with an unwavering gaze.

"It may feel and look horrifying," he said as the creature's claws dug into the table "but inside, it has good intentions."

He glanced at Anne who had backed off after the display of violence.

"I don't think it wants to leave you. It loves you after all."

The creature flattened itself to the table, glaring furiously at Angeal.

"Can you not give it a chance?"

Anne opened her mouth, unsure as she stared at the creature.

"Get rid of it."

The creature turned and roared at Sephiroth who arrived, nuzzling the back of Anne's head as he glared at it.

"It's unnecessary, a failure," he growled "You can make the potion, Angeal, kill it."

"No!"

Anne turned to Sephiroth as she glared at him.

"…It…came from me," she stuttered "Can I not make the choice?"

"It's my magic originally," Sephiroth glared back.

"No!"

Anne slapped him sharply.

"No, that magic is from others!" she screamed at him "Including a good handful of my ancestors! He's my heritage!"

"A heritage that you're afraid of?" Sephiroth snarled as he raised a clawed hand.

The creature lunged and pushed him back before he could use a simple stinging spell to retaliate Anne's slap. He stumbled back into the corridor as Anne backed away from its violent aura. It roared and Sephiroth roared back.

"_Enough_!"

The creature stopped on cue and Sephiroth's roar died down after a while. It stood on its hind legs and looked up at Anne, obedience radiating from it. Anne looked down at it and sighed.

"He's my baby," she declared and the creature perked up "I will keep him. He is not a failure, he is not unnecessary and just because he doesn't feel…right."

Anne huffed as she folded her arms.

"…It doesn't give us the right to just get rid of him."

The creature let out a happy whirr as it pounced on Anne, tail around her waist and all four legs holding onto her like a baby koala.

"Anne, you can't be serious," Sephiroth growled "That thing can't just roam the castle, it can do some serious damage!"

"And I suppose your mother would kill you if you did something wrong for the first time?"

Sephiroth stepped back at Anne's comment and she sighed.

"Yes, I'm scared," she said "but that's not stopped me before. If I was so yellow-bellied, do you think I would be here right now?"

Sephiroth flattened his ears, glaring at the creature that was curled around Anne like a snake.

"It would be interesting to observe it," Genesis piped up from the window he had just climbed out of.

"Maybe it'll grow friendly over time," Zack suggested after taking a bite from his twelfth crumpet.

"We do all have to face our fears every so now and then," Aerith nodded.

The Shinto glared down at the Wiccan and her new pet.

"Fine," he snarled and the creature snarled back "but I will not allow it in the West Wing, it will not harm anyone, not even a single _mouse_, and one wrong move, Angeal's magic draining potion will be the last thing it sees."

The Wiccan raised a hand to pet the creature fondly.

"Shadow will do whatever I say, Your Majesty."

* * *

Anne had gotten more beautiful. Rosso observed the young Wiccan in the garden, pulling weeds out of the flowerbeds with the fearsome creature prancing around her. She hadn't been here to see the day to day changes and it felt like a shock to see such a young woman looking more radiant than ever before. Was she using potions? She didn't seem like the vain type.

Rosso shuddered as the creature ran back and forth, scaring the baby Couerls that were around in the garden. It was horrible, it was horrifying and yet Anne still let it hug her, let it groom her hair and carry around the basket she was holding. Wanting to focus on something else, Rosso glanced at the Couerls that were scampering around. Why were they in the garden? She hadn't thought of Sephiroth as the type to keep pets. Perhaps a mother had snuck in to give birth, but it was unusual to see the mother looking so lax.

Rosso observed as Anne walked up to the larger Couerl, the creature keeping its distance by her order. She frowned deeper as the Couerl snuggled into her, licking her face and started grooming her hair as well. It was as if they were competing for her affections. Rosso snorted. Such a textbook princess in fairy tales.

Rosso also noticed how Anne's demeanour had changed. She was happier than when they had last met. And when Sephiroth had stuck his head out of the window to talk to her, Rosso noticed something in her eyes. It unsettled her, it was as if she is going to break the curse soon. No, not now! There was just a little time left. Rosso needed to get her out, urgently but how? She couldn't just walk in and take her away, not when that creature seems to be guarding her like treasure.

Then she suddenly remembered. There was such a spell that can be used to send creatures away if they were beings pests. She can use it to draw Anne out and take her back to the village, perhaps instil more trust by 'showing' the townspeople 'proof' of her possession. Rosso smirked as she readied her hand, aiming at the young Wiccan who was tending to the plants.

"Nostalgico."

Anne, it seemed, knew that a spell had been cast on her as she turned sharply towards her. She couldn't see her though as she clutched her heart and began crying. The cubs, the Couerl and the creature rushed to her as she continued crying, clutching at the front of her dress. She seemed to be trying to suppress her sobs as the windows opened again.

"Anne, what happened?!" the cursed king demanded "Did it hurt you?! I'll kill it!"

The creature roared at him as Anne's wails grew louder. The servants began coming out, surrounding her as she couldn't suppress her cries, hugging herself, hunching over and bawling like a big baby.

"I…" she whined as she tried to speak "I…"

She wailed even louder, despite the hugs and affectionate nudges that were given.

"I want to go home!" she cried out, tears running down her face "I want to go home! I want to see Tifa! I want to see Cloud! I want to see all my friends, Max, Torgal, everyone! I want to go home!"


	31. Chapter 32

Sephiroth hated feeling helpless above all else, well, maybe nearly above all else. Anne had been crying on and off for days now, it was near crippling. Sephiroth felt the whirlwind of homesickness, despair and anguish every day and seeing Anne's bloodshot eyes made his heart shatter. In their dreams, she still cried. And if they were in her dream world, they wouldn't be in the meadows or in the woods. They would be at Anne's home.

It was rather…small in Sephiroth's opinion but he could see how Anne would love to call this place home. It seemed cosy, it felt warm and most of all, Anne's tears would cease if they were here. But all she would talk about is wanting to come back, see everyone and enjoy Tifa's cooking.

Sephiroth somewhat enjoyed being around in Anne's home. This was where Anne grew up. Where she would have probably been born, where she had taken her first step, said her first word… And most likely, she used her first spell here. In beast form, he was too large to be inside the house so he had to be in his human form in order to step inside.

Sometimes Anne would be in her bedroom and he would come in to see her looking through the books she owned on her bookshelf, looking through her peasant clothes and reading her study notes. He couldn't describe how content he was to just learn more about her, what she did during the day, what motivated her to study more and more magic and the spells she would often practice.

Other times Anne would be downstairs, looking through cupboards and drawers. Apparently she would sometimes hide some potions in these places because her bedroom often got full quickly with her experiments. She fondly recalled the Chocobo chicks that she was looking after before she came to the castle, reminisced about she first met Bandit and, annoyingly enough, talked about how much she missed this Max.

"He isn't really a monster, is he?" Sephiroth probed with a jealous growl "Is he someone you secretly admire?"

"No, not really," Anne shrugged and she would always find a way to go off topic.

Who was this Max?!

Tonight, they were outside of the house, in the woods surrounding the quaint home. Anne sat on a tree stump, gazing towards a darkened, gloomy path.

"I would always go on walks with my father," she said as he sat beside her "We would go everywhere but no further than beyond this spot."

"Indeed?"

"…"

Anne sighed as she slumped slightly.

"To this day, I have never crossed over to there."

She closed her eyes and a few more teardrops fell.

"I miss him," she murmured "I miss the walks. I miss everything."

Sephiroth did want to let her go back home, for just a moment, but there was a very prominent reason why he was reluctant…

* * *

"Have you found out what's wrong yet?"

"She's just a little homesick, she'll get over it," Aerith tried to reassure him.

"Crying for four hours straight, then pausing for half an hour only to cry for another five hours in one day is not a little homesick," Sephiroth snarled as he turned away from her and Genesis.

"…You were right about it being a spell."

Sephiroth turned his head sharply as Aerith gave him a look.

"Genesis!" she exclaimed as Genesis tilted his chin upwards.

"Aerith, after examining her body, we can't just let it go unnoticed," Genesis said curtly "We found foreign magic inside her when we looked at her this morning."

"And why did you want to hide this from me?" Sephiroth snarled as his shadow loomed over Aerith.

"What if it's Stregherian magic?" Aerith asked and Sephiroth hesitated "What if Rosso has come back and is up to one of her tricks again?"

Sephiroth flinched back and glared down.

"To separate us," he growled "And you can't find a cure?"

"This is advanced magic," Genesis sighed "And we don't even know the first thing about Stregherian magic. We've tried cancelling spells, neutralising potions but nothing is stopping her from crying that she wants to go back home."

"Even she can't control it," Aerith sighed "I've seen her try to hold back her hurt but she can't help it."

"You mentioned that her dream world consisted of places from her home?" Genesis tilted his head.

"Yes, the crying stops but she always talks about how she misses being at home."

"If the spell can only be broken with her going home then that leaves her exposed to Rosso," Aerith cast her eyes downwards.

"On the other hand, she can't focus on anything else so either way it's risky," Genesis followed her actions.

* * *

Sephiroth pulled Anne into his lap and hugged her tightly.

"Anne," he murmured as he rocked her back and forth "It's OK, I know…"

Anne whined as she began holding back another cry. Sephiroth held her tighter. Has she always been this small? He stroked her head as she burrowed herself into his fur and he sighed contently. So small and precious… He looked around, taking in the scenery and let out another sigh.

"Anne, how long is it to reach your home from the castle?"

Anne looked up at him with those dry red eyes before looking down, furrowing her brows.

"It took a while when I was riding Poppy," she said "Probably half a day at least…"

Sephiroth nosed the top of her head affectionately. He heled her tighter, looking at the gloomy path ahead.

"Anne…" he sighed as he cradled her head "…Three days."

Anne looked up at him in confusion and he stroked her face.

"If your homesickness is this dire, you may go back for three days before coming back."

Anne sat up eagerly as he nuzzled her forehead again.

"I hate to see you suffer like this."

He embraced Anne tighter as she threw her arms around him. He purred as he nuzzled the side of her face.

"Shadow will have to stay," she began chattering excitedly "I don't want to scare Tifa. I wonder if she and Cloud have married yet, oh, I'll be able to see my baby Max, it's been so long since I last saw him!"

"Is Max a…?"

"I wonder if Torgal has had more babies…" Anne continued chattering "I know I won't be able to stick around long but it would be wonderful to see some more Tonberry babies, especially with their cute, tiny, little training knives! They can just about nick your skin but they aren't lethal at all, but aw! They're so cute when they're trying to kill something! I've always liked Tonberries for their passive aggressive nature, it's the best aggressive nature. Never have I found a Tonberry that isn't passive aggressive…"

"Anne, Tonberries aside," Sephiroth nudged her head to interrupt her "On your way home, I want you to be very careful."

"Why…?" Anne frowned whilst tilting her head.

"Rosso is out there."

Anne straightened up as Sephiroth gripped her tightly.

"Magic, especially Chaos Magic, can attract those with ill intentions," he warned her "When you leave this kingdom, you most likely will be viewed in a very different light than before. Rosso might want to take advantage of your new abilities, the people in your town will most likely either shun or attempt to trap you for their own gain. And your sister might act a little different than before."

Anne looked stricken at this and he nuzzled her reassuringly.

"Or she won't, she does love you very much."

Anne looked down at her hands as he stroked the top of her head.

"I just want you to be careful," he whispered "I…don't want to lose you."

Anne looked up at him with a confused frown and he ruffled her hair.

"You should start packing," he proposed and Anne's eyes lit up "Pack light, I'll have Loz prepare your Chocobo."

"Right!"

Sephiroth chuckled as she disappeared when she woke up

* * *

"You don't need to all see me off," Anne murmured with an embarrassed blush as she stood with Poppy in her travelling clothes.

"Whenever Angeal states that someone is in the kitchen, I can never go back to sleep," Genesis grumbled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

It was barely before sunrise and everyone had gathered to bid Anne a good journey home. Yuffie and Zack looked like they were about to fall asleep standing up, but thanks to the constant prodding of Aerith and Cid, it didn't happen. Genesis was leaning against Angeal, nearly falling back to sleep himself.

"But don't worry about it, hun," he yawned "You remember your dagger?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure you have enough food?" Angeal frowned "I can make some more muffins or crumpets if you want…"

"I have plenty, Angeal," Anne laughed as she glanced at one of the bags on Poppy "There's no need to worry."

"And your rune stone that Yuffie gave ya?"

"Yes."

"And your Book of Shadows?"

"Of course."

"You remember all the emergency spells, right?" Aerith wrung her hands "Like your shielding spells, your barrier spells, your healing spells…"

"Aerith, I know them all, don't worry."

Shadow whined as he padded over and Anne crouched down, petting him.

"You stay here and be a good boy," she cooed and kissed his head.

She flinched a little as he ran her tongue up her cheek. Sephiroth growled and Anne gave him look.

"I expect him to still be here when I get back," she said sternly.

"If something happens it will have been its fault," Sephiroth grumbled as he folded his arms and glared to the side.

Anne sighed and shook her head. She beckoned for him to drop down to all fours. As he did so, she hugged him tightly.

"I'll be fine," she reassured him "I promise."

Sephiroth stared down at her longingly as she pulled away and mounted Poppy.

"Be careful!"

"If something happens, come straight back!"

"Are you sure you don't want any bagels?"

"Angeal, I won't starve!" Anne laughed as she grabbed Poppy's reins "I'll be looking forward to your cooking when I get back then?"

"Don't give him any ideas!" Genesis exclaimed as he clung onto Angeal "I won't be able to see my darling for days if he wants to welcome you back with a banquet!"

Anne just grinned as she waved goodbye.

"I'll see you soon!"

Sephiroth stood at the gate as Poppy carried her away into the woods. Everyone else called out their goodbyes as he turned and launched himself onto the West Wing balcony to watch her go further until he couldn't see her. He slumped moodily, loneliness claiming him quickly. The castle just felt cold without her. With a heavy sigh, he turned his back to sulk in his bed. Until a surge of panic was felt through the bond. Sephiroth had a second to register it until he felt surge after surge of magic coming from the forest.

"ANNE!"

He roared in pain as the bond began burning. The servants were jostled by this, looking up at the balcony to call and ask what was wrong. Shadow roared as he took off in the direction of where Anne had gone. Sephiroth roared in agony and in anger as he felt the bond shatter between him and Anne.

"ANNE! LOZ, KADAJ, YAZOO!"

He surged forward, nearly breaking the stone railing of the balcony.

"Find that worthless whore and get Anne back!" he demanded as the brothers ran out of the castle grounds "ROSSO!"

He lunged forward and hit the barrier that separated him from the outside world.

"Your Majesty!"

He landed heavily on the courtyard, pressing against the barrier.

"Anne…" he growled.

"Sephiroth, we can't do anything!" Genesis rushed to his side "We can't leave the grounds!"

"No," Sephiroth snarled as he kept pushing "Anne's in danger!"

"Stop it, you'll hurt yourself!"

Sephiroth didn't care.

"ANNE!"


	32. Chapter 33

Her head hurt. Anne nuzzled closer to the warmth, expecting the soft fur to envelope her. But no, there was no fur. Anne moaned, pulling away and shifted as a hand, a very human hand, pressed her closer to the crook of a neck.

"We're nearly there."

Anne pried her eyes open, her eyesight blurring in and out. She could determine that the sun had set. But she had left before it had risen… Maybe it hadn't risen yet? No, the colours in the sky definitely show that the sun has recently set. What happened? Anne shifted again and was hushed when she groaned again.

"Who…?"

She tried to reach out to find any answers to her confused state of mind. The hand was taken away from her head and she winced as it gripped her forearm.

"Ssh, rest."

She was bobbing up and down, was she on a Chocobo?

"Poppy?"

There was a squawk but it wasn't as close as Anne would expect if she was indeed riding Poppy. She tried to turn her head, trying to remember what happened. She was on someone's lap. She tilted her head again, her eyesight improving and she saw a pair of red lips.

"Rosso…!"

She hissed as she tried to move away and Rosso hushed her again.

"Let go…"

"We're nearly home."

What? Anne tried to look around more and she remembered which potions she had brought with her. She fumbled around with her belt and got a small vial of purple liquid. She crushed it into her chest, the frail glass cracking easily and leaking the potion through her dress and into her core.

"What is th-?"

Energy surged through Anne as she pushed away from Rosso and fell off the Chocobo. She scrambled to her feet and snarled, glaring up at the older witch as she dismounted to grab her by the wrists.

"Calm yourself, do you wish for your sister to see you like this?"

"Anne!"

Anne turned, half expecting to see Tifa but saw Cloud instead.

"Cloud, you're alright!"

Rosso let her go as more townspeople began gathering around them. Anne looked around, recognising the area to be not far from her home.

"Is she still…possessed?"

"Possessed?" Anne echoed as she stared at everyone giving her cautious looks "What makes you think…?"

She glared at Rosso.

"You," she snarled "What did you tell them?"

"The truth," Rosso smiled.

"Like hell! Where's Tifa? I just want to see her and I'll be leaving."

"Leaving to where exactly, Miss Lockhart?" Rosso prompted as she grabbed her by the arm "Oh, I see. Even from this distance you are still under influence of that creature."

"I am not under any influence!" Anne shrieked as she pulled from her grip "Let go of me!"

"Domire."

"_Mako_!"

When Rosso tried to cover her eyes to use a sleeping spell, Anne cut herself to cancel it. She slit herself again.

"_Wynt_!"

"Barriera!"

Her wind spell was blocked by a shielding spell and Anne growled, raising her knife again but was halted by a collection of gasps. She blanched. She had forgotten that they had an audience.

"You see?!" Rosso called towards the spectators "She can use magic whilst under the influence of the beast!"

"No, I'm not under any influence!" Anne argued as she turned to the townsfolk who were muttering under their breath "I…I'm a Wiccan! I've been hiding as a Wiccan so that you won't burn me!"

"Ridiculous!" Weiss barked, folding his arms "You? A witch?"

"A Wiccan, use your ears," Anne snarled at him as she held up her knife "This was my ancestor's! It was passed down to me by my mother, who died because of a Wiccan ritual!"

"She died because of a monster attack," Cloud frowned.

"No, that was the cover story because she was a Wiccan but we couldn't let anyone know so that Tifa and I wouldn't be found out as magic users!"

Anne looked around, spotting her sister.

"Tifa!" she cried out as she ran through the crowd, grabbing her by the hands "Tifa, you can convince them! Tell them that we are Wiccans! I can always use a memory spell to make sure you're safe! Just get some sense into these half-wits!"

Tifa stared down at her, looking her up and down. She opened and closed her mouth as Anne clung onto her tighter.

"Please, at least admit that I'm a Wiccan! The king, he hasn't influenced me at all, he hasn't possessed me! Tifa!"

Anne's heart turned to water as her older sister stepped away.

"…Don't be ridiculous, you've never used magic before."

"Tifa!" Anne cried out in disbelief as the crowd grew louder "No! No, I am a Wiccan, she's just lying to protect me! Tifa, tell them!"

"Enough of this tomfoolery," Rosso said as she walked up to her "You need to rest, we'll take care of the beast."

"He's not a beast!"

Anne lunged at Rosso as she tried to grab her.

"He's a good man!"

Anne saw panic flicker through her eyes and she snarled.

"Ridiculous! You are completely under his possession!"

"I'm not!" Anne roared as her eyes began turning into slits.

Anne began snarling at Rosso violently, prompting the townspeople to back off, even Tifa stepped away in alarm. Cloud straightened up as Anne cracked her head from side to side.

"You spout so many poisonous lies, Rosso," she growled as her skin began turning purple "You're nothing but a malicious snake!"

Rosso lunged forward with a spell on her lips but was cut off when Anne roared and her body swelled. Everyone backed off even more as her dress ripped and Anne, as Galian Beast, let out another bellowing roar before swiping at Rosso. Rosso blocked the attack with one of her swords and sneered.

"You see for yourselves!" she bellowed "It has turned her into a beast! We need to kill it to break the curse!"

Anne roared as she swiped at her again. More hunters began rushing with their weapons and she knocked them out with her tail. Cloud came rushing towards her next but hesitated as she looked down at him. Anne crooned, frozen to the spot as they stared at each other. Cloud lowered his blade warily and Anne suddenly roared. He backed off and stared with wide eyes as he saw Rosso had landed on Anne's back and had attempted to attack her. Anne shook her body out and another roar cut through the air. Seeing that the crowd had cleared, a Bandersnatch had charged forward and knocked Rosso off. Anne roared in outrage as Rosso tried to stab at him and her tail winded the Stregherian, knocking her into Weiss and Nero. Cloud hesitated as more hunters from behind him began running at Anne when she picked the Bandersnatch up and began running off. He lowered his head and squeezed a blue crystal in his hand.

"Whoa!"

Cloud began running off after Rosso who chased after Anne when the floor turned to ice and the rest of the hunters slipped over. He chased them into the forest and found Anne dropping the Bandersnatch by the tree stump where that Malboro had carried her off to. He watched as she nudged the Bandersnatch away and it, reluctantly, sped off into the darkness. Cloud stepped forward and Anne turned to him, bowing her head.

"Anne?"

Anne crooned.

"…Can you turn back?"

Anne patted her ripped skirt and Cloud coughed awkwardly.

"I see."

Anne stepped forward and Cloud could see it in her eyes. Rosso is lying.

"Annulla!"

Anne roared as Rosso jumped onto her back once more and Cloud stepped away. He wasn't going to give away his suspicions.

"There is no use in reasoning with her, she's possessed."

"…I thought I'd try…" Cloud murmured as Anne shrunk down to her human form.

He looked away as all that was left of Anne's dress was the belt and the red skirt, hanging loosely around her hips and tattered. Rosso dragged her by the back of her neck, Anne stumbling and calling out to Cloud. Cloud made eye contact with her. That was all that needed to calm her down.

He watched as they disappeared towards the direction of the Lockharts' home. He put his sword back and walked after them, seeing the hunters scattered around, muttering under their breaths.

"Strife!"

Cloud looked up as Weiss and Nero walked towards him.

"She says we'll be heading there shortly and we'll be training to prepare ourselves when we get there."

"To…the creature's lair?" Cloud hummed then nodded as they confirmed it "I'll have to say goodbye to Tifa. She'll worry."

"Don't be too long."

Cloud nodded as he brushed by Rosso when he went in. He saw Tifa by the dining table, looking very distressed.

"Tifa?"

Tifa looked up at him with teary eyes and Cloud hesitated. He shouldn't worry her too much.

"It'll be alright," he said with a reassuring smile.

Tifa ran to him and gave him a big hug. Cloud embraced her tighter and he stepped away to hold her by the shoulders.

"I will be back," he said "But I don't trust Rosso."

Tifa frowned and Cloud hushed her.

"I've seen Anne as that before," he whispered "And she saved me. I don't believe she's possessed."

Tifa looked even more distressed as Cloud let her go.

"I will be back," he swore as he smiled at her "You can trust in me."

Tifa gave him an uncertain look before kissing him. He gave her a kiss back before squeezing her hand and leaving. He ran to his Chocobo as Rosso began discussing a plan to attack the creature in its castle. He hopped onto his Chocobo and began sneaking off towards the direction of the castle.

* * *

"Be careful!" Tifa called out as Rosso dragged her younger sister up the stairs.

"She is unharmed," Rosso reassured her as they arrived outside Anne's room "I will need to barricade her in. Whatever you do, don't listen to her pleas. She will try to reach out to you because the creature knows you are sisters. It will try to take advantage of that."

"Tifa, don't listen to her!" Anne cried and yelped as Rosso pushed her into the room "Didn't you get my letter?!"

Tifa just looked at her helplessly as Rosso walked into the room and closed the door.

"Barriera, silenzio."

Anne glared at Rosso who stood over her, pushing her down onto her bed.

"Don't resist," she said as she took off her cloak and covered Anne's nude body with it.

Anne was about to bat it away until she recognised it. She gripped the material and stared up at Rosso in disbelief. Rosso smiled as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You stay here, be at home," she soothed "We'll deal with the creature."

"Sephiroth," Anne corrected as she glared at her.

Rosso sneered. She lifted the cloak and snatched Anne's dagger. Anne tried to snatch it back but Rosso shoved her back onto the bed and stalked back to the door.

"Iscrizione, Rosso," she said before turning to glare at the Wiccan "He killed your ancestors."

"I forgive him."

Rosso snorted.

"So you say," she purred dangerously "but do you really?"

She chuckled and shook her head.

"Never mind," she said "He'll be gone soon. You won't have to worry."

"No, Rosso!"

Anne jumped up, clutched onto the cloak and chased after her as the Stregherian went through the barrier. She crashed into it and began clawing at it, crying out.

"Tifa!" she cried "Tifa, stop her! TIFA!"

She turned to her window and ran over only to find another barrier. She yelled out in frustration. She reached for her belt, only to remember that Rosso had taken her knife. She roared in anger and fell to her knees, smacking her fists into the floor. She began wailing like a little toddler. She felt so helpless. She wiped away her tears but still continued to cry.

"Vincent…" she whined "I need you…"

There was silence as she curled up on the floor, sobbing and beating a feeble fist against the floorboards. Then…suddenly…

_"I'm here."_


	33. Chapter 34

Aerith poured a cool potion over Kadaj's wound as morning broke the next day. The brothers had come back unsuccessful and Shadow was nowhere to be found. Loz whined as she turned to his torn ear and soothed him softly as she poured the clear liquid over the wound.

"Don't cry, Loz," Yazoo murmured as he held his bleeding nose.

"I'm not crying," Loz whined.

Everyone's ears pricked as they heard a Chocobo approaching. They all looked over to the gates where a yellow Chocobo approached. The brothers growled as Aerith stood, recognising the spiky haired swordsman.

"I come in peace," he said, raising his hands "I want to talk."

Aerith stared at him curiously before nodding. The gates opened and the swordsman rode his Chocobo into the courtyard.

"Loz, put his Chocobo in the stables, I'll lead him in."

Loz gave the swordsman a warning glare before grabbing the reins and leading it into the stables. Aerith began walking into the castle and the swordsman followed after her.

"Your Majesty!" she called "We…have a visitor…"

Genesis arrived first and a snarl ripped from his throat.

"What is _he _doing here?!" he demanded as he stalked towards the swordsman.

"Genesis," Aerith hushed him as she kept him away "Let's not start any fights."

"What is _he _doing _here_?!"

Aerith sighed as Sephiroth stormed into the lobby and she prompted the swordsman to step back as she shielded him as best she could.

"He comes in peace!"

"Don't believe him after he began tearing this place apart!"

"Anne isn't here, he isn't going to attack us!"

"Rosso is planning to attack here."

Everyone hesitated and looked over to the swordsman as he lowered his head.

"She brought Anne back to the village," he said "She has made all of them believe that she is possessed."

"And what do you believe?" Aerith asked as Genesis and Sephiroth glanced at each other.

"She isn't. It's still a little hard to swallow the fact that she is…a magic user. But in a way, it makes sense from what I know about her already. I want to know why she was here in the first place and why Rosso wants to get rid of you."

Aerith looked up at Sephiroth who stared down at the swordsman silently before stepping forward.

"Your name?"

"Cloud Strife."

"A Strife?!" Genesis exclaimed before turning on his heel and growling, covering his face "So they still live on…"

Cloud looked puzzled as Sephiroth circled him.

"You have magic on you."

Cloud hesitated before taking his sword out and looking at his homemade sword, where two crystals had been embedded into the circular dents. Those dents were a traditional symbol for Strifes, as blacksmiths, to mark their work. The fact that the crystals fit in perfectly nerved him, but if he was descended from magic users, it made sense.

"The other townspeople have been training with magic as well," he said "When they arrive here, they will prepare for a fight. I'm not sure how long that will be for."

Sephiroth growled as he stopped in front of Cloud.

"Will you fight with us?"

"If you need me."

"How many people are we looking at?"

"Ten to twenty, depending on who still wants to go through with using the magic."

"That isn't as bad as originally thought," Genesis hummed "Cinnamon might help us, if you talk to her, Aerith."

"She'll attack regardless, this is her home currently," Aerith shook her head "And stop acting like I can actually talk to animals!"

"That creature might have been of help, if it were still around," Sephiroth growled.

He hesitated the looked down at Cloud.

"How is Anne?"

"Trapped in her room, I believe, but otherwise fine."

Sephiroth growled before turning and walking up the steps.

"Yuffie!" he bellowed.

A few moments of silence were followed as his voice echoed through the corridors and Yuffie came spiralling in with her rune stones.

"Your Majesty?" she said with a salute.

"Prepare to fortify the castle," Sephiroth ordered as he glanced down at Cloud "It seems we might be expecting some company."

He then addressed Cloud.

"Stay with her," he ordered "She will teach you some basic rune stone magic and perhaps help you with your crystal magic…"

"He has magic crystals?!"

Cloud jumped as Yuffie zipped down in front of him and looked at his sword, her eyes glinting happily.

"Oh my Gaia, this is going to be so much fun!" she cried and hugged him happily "From now on, you're my best friend!"

"Um…OK…"

"Also…"

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth who raised his hackles.

"One wrong move," he said raising a single digit "Take into account the fact that Anne is not here to save you again."

* * *

Angeal swatted Zack's hand as he tried to grab another bagel.

"Angeal!"

"You've already had four!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Of course you have, you're not very good at counting, you've had four bagels!"

"No, I've only had three!"

"Zack, I've baked ten bagels, how many do you see there?"

Zack counted slowly on the tray.

"Six?"

"Exactly, you've had four!"

"I've had three!"

"You've had four!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Guys!"

Angeal and Zack glanced over to the doors as a familiar blonde swordsman staggered into the kitchen and was seated haphazardly at the table. Yuffie popped out from behind him.

"Food for my new friend!" she demanded as Zack brightened up.

"Can he be my friend too?" he asked as Angeal narrowed his eyes at him.

"What is he doing here?" he growled and the swordsman held his hands up in alarm.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone," he said quickly.

"He's on our side!" Yuffie said brightly as she sat on his shoulders "He's going to be my pupil! I'm gonna teach him how to use rune stones."

"For what reason?" Angeal frowned as Zack handed the swordsman a bagel.

"…Why am I teaching you rune stones again?"

The swordsman blinked as he held his bagel.

"It might have something to do with the fact a small army of people are on the way to kill your king."

Angeal's eyes widened.

"What?"

"You knew Anne, right?" the swordsman looked up at him "Rosso has the whole town believe that she's possessed and that the only way to help her is to kill the creature…"

He coughed as Angeal gave him a stern look.

"Your king."

"Is Anne alright?" Angeal asked with a soft look.

"It seems so. She's trapped at her home."

He bowed his head before looking up at Angeal again.

"Was she happy here?" he asked.

Angeal hesitated before sitting opposite him.

"Not at first but she adjusted," he said "If she ever got hurt, it was by her fault most of the time."

"I see…"

The swordsman gingerly lifted the bagel then glanced at Angeal, as if asking for permission. Angeal nodded and he began eating rather vigorously. His stomach growled and Zack chuckled.

"When was the last time you ate?" he asked and the swordsman ducked his head.

"It's been a while," he confessed and Angeal got up.

"Might as well make some more for you," he grinned and slapped Zack's hand as he reached for another bagel.

"Ow!"

"Stop eating the bagels! You've already had five!"

"When did it turn to five?!"

"There are four bagels left!"

"What?!"

A purr cut through the argument and everyone felt dread. Angeal snapped his gaze to the doors and stepped away when he saw Shadow, crouching low and wagging his tail eagerly. The swordsman reacted sharply, backing off as Shadow glared at him before running to one of the empty seats. He crooned and sat by the tray of bagels, snapping one up.

"He's the one stealing the bagels!" Zack declared and Shadow scurried off "Come back here! Try to make Angeal turn me into a thief, would you?!"

* * *

Sephiroth stood at his balcony, glaring down at the small army that clustered around outside of the castle grounds. It has been two days already. Yuffie and Cloud had already made short work of barricading the gates, that swordsman has some useful abilities, and were currently barricading the front doors. Loz, Kadaj and Yazoo sat on the steps, watching the townspeople as they practiced using their weapons, imbued with magic that they probably didn't even fully comprehend. Cinnamon lingered, not wanting to get too close to the brothers but wanting to keep an eye on the gates. Sephiroth sniffed for magic auras and furrowed his brow. Something didn't feel right in the castle and it wasn't Cloud with his magic crystals.

What really nerved him was that Shadow had suddenly returned. Surely it would still be trying to find Anne? Finding her at her home wouldn't be too hard and bringing her back would be very easy. Why was it just lazing around here? Sephiroth narrowed his eyes as Rosso stared up at him with a wicked smirk and raised one of her blades.

"Energia!"

Cinnamon, Loz, Kadaj and Yazoo jumped as she brought her blade down to shatter the gates. Sephiroth growled as Shadow dropped down beside him, crouched over and baring its teeth at the townsfolk. Everyone, even Rosso, shuddered slightly at its presence and Sephiroth roared.

"Tenki, arashi, kogeki!"

Thunder clapped above them as dark clouds swirled around the castle. Then bolts of lightning began raining down on the army.

* * *

"Barriera!"

Rosso raised one blade again and a shield encompassed the hunters. They all winced as the bolts landed onto the barrier and Rosso's eyes widened as she saw what was perched on the highest tower of the castle. The lightning was first reflected off the golden claw that grasped the top of the tower roof. Then it showed the outline of two demonic wings. And finally, Rosso caught glimpse of the legendary Cerberus. Her face lit up.

"Vincent…"

* * *

Tifa halted Poppy as she stared up at the storm clouds that circled the kingdom. She swallowed the lump in her throat and gripped the reins tighter. She dug her heel deeper into Poppy who squawked and charged through the forest.

* * *

Genesis and Angeal linked hands as they watched Cloud and Yuffie reinforce the barriers on the doors. Angeal squeezed first and Genesis squeezed tighter.

"I love you."

"Love you more."

They glanced at each other, wanting to embrace the other but fearing that Rosso would break through to catch them off guard at the same time.

"You remember all your potions?"

"Each and every one."

"You didn't leave any of them in the kitchen?"

"No."

"Yeah, ya did."

Angeal and Genesis glanced over their shoulders as Cid walked up to them, arms full of bottles. Angeal sighed.

"Those are the emergency supplies."

"You've got enough emergency supplies in ya kitchen," Cid shrugged as he added the bottles to the pile by Angeal "You can never be too careful."

Genesis smiled and nodded.

"He's right," he agreed as he clutched onto Angeal's hand tighter.

* * *

Aerith and Zack hugged each other tightly as they stood in the corridor that headed to the West Wing.

"I'm a little scared," she confessed and Zack smiled, hugging her tighter.

"It'll be alright," he soothed her "With a pretty face like yours, no-one will want to hurt you."

Aerith snorted before burying her face into his chest.

* * *

Luxiere and Kunsel stood in another corridor that would lead to the West Wing. They looked at one another before nodding and bumping fists.

* * *

"Annulla!"

Sephiroth growled as Rosso shot a spell into the air and cancelled his storm spell. He watched as the hunters charged and Cinnamon came forward, body charged with the excess energy of the storm spell, and shot thunderbolts out towards the hunters. Two of them charged forward to attack her and Loz shot across, knocking them out. The fight raged on beneath Sephiroth as he tried to aim and attack Rosso with his spells. Rosso just gave him another smirk and Sephiroth took a moment to glance at the flowering bush. The final bud looked as if it was going to burst into bloom at any time…


	34. Chapter 35

The first few of the hunters charged forward to engage with the brothers and Cinnamon. Rosso headed straight to the front doors, her swords powering up.

"Energia!"

* * *

Yuffie and Cloud bounced off the floor as a tremor shook the doors. Genesis and Angeal bounced slightly as well as Cid retreated further with some bottles. Angeal picked up a bottle from his pile as Genesis flexed his hands. Yuffie picked out one of her rune stones as Cloud dislodged one of his blades out of the main one.

"You need to teach me how to make a blade like that," Yuffie murmured as she eyed it hungrily.

Cloud grunted as he flicked the main blade, making it light up in a blue aura. The doors shook again as Genesis's hands lit up in a golden aura next. The next tremor cracked the doors in the middle and Yuffie grinned eagerly.

"Bring it on, bitches!" she shouted as the fourth tremor split the doors completely open "Buraindo!"

Rosso was quick to shield as darkness encircled the front of the group of hunters. Cinnamon roared as she took advantage of the hunters' blindness, knocking out a few. Nero took aim and shot her when she wasn't paying him any attention. Cinnamon roared in agony and before Nero could deal the final blow, a louder, fiercer roar pierced the chaos. Sephiroth snapped his head up and saw the massive Behemoth crash through into the courtyard and knock Nero up into the air. Nero was sent flying, firing off a bullet which pierced Sephiroth in the shoulder. Roaring angrily, Sephiroth snatched Nero and threw him into the West Wing.

"Nero!" Weiss yelled as he dodged Bain's tail.

"Into the castle, hurry!" Rosso called as she herded the hunters into the lobby.

Yuffie had retreated with her rune stones at the ready so it was Cloud's welcome a couple of hunters received when they managed to get in. Two of them were already knocked out and put to the side when Weiss stumbled in with Rosso, sealing the doors so that Bain wouldn't follow.

"Strife?!" Weiss exclaimed as Cloud readied his main blade and sent blizzard spells at the group.

They in turn countered with their own spells as Yuffie readied seven stones that circled her from behind.

"Kasai," she murmured as her eyes began glowing with the rune stones "mizu, chikyu, kaze, raiko, chikara, konbain!"

She screamed as the rune stones shook with energy. Fire balls were shot out from her hands, water rushed in to flood the hunters, pillars of earth broke through the castle floors and knocked a few hunters off and wind spiralled around the group. Cloud mounted one of the pillars as it shot up and caught Yuffie when she dropped from exhaustion. But the spell wasn't done yet. Anyone that was caught up in the water got shocked as lightning thundered down on them. Rosso and Weiss managed to dodge this attack, hopping onto a pillar each, and Rosso glared at Cloud angrily.

"I honestly didn't think she'd pull that off," Genesis whispered to Angeal as he tried to comb his hair down from being up in the air with the static electricity.

Rosso scoured the area before raising one of her blades.

"Secco!" she bellowed.

Cloud hissed and shielded his eyes as a bright light shot out from the tip of the blade and the whole room grew hot. Genesis hissed as he and Angeal shielded their eyes and the water evaporated. Rosso flicked her blade to get rid of the heat and turned to Weiss.

"They're still alive, you can revive them with the phoenix downs!"

"Angeal!"

"On it."

Weiss jumped down the pillars to revive the other hunters. Angeal threw the blue bottle in his hand and Weiss dodged it in time to not get frozen. Cloud lay Yuffie down before blocking Rosso's attack.

"You are a fool to join the losing side," she snarled down at him as he flicked his second blade, lighting it up in a brilliant magenta light.

"I was a fool for trusting you."

Rosso blocked his next attack and Cloud jolted as he accidentally knocked Yuffie off.

"I've got her!"

Genesis skidded across the lobby, catching Yuffie and blocking Weiss who had charged after him to strike. Weiss attempted a second blow but retreated as Angeal threw another bottle at him, this one exploding into bolts of lightning. Angeal glowered angrily as he tossed a pink bottle up and down, pulling his arm back to aim. Genesis retreated up the steps and ran down the corridor towards where Cid was stationed. Angeal threw the bottle at Weiss and Weiss managed to deflect it. It burst into a cloud of pink gas and Rosso reacted sharply.

"Don't breathe it in!" she bellowed as she wrestled with Cloud.

Weiss covered his mouth and nose as he ran in the opposite direction. Rosso hopped onto another pillar and pointed one blade at Cloud.

"Fuoco!"

Cloud blocked the fireball with one blade and stared in disbelief at how the metal had slightly melted at the heat. He bristled as Rosso's blade glowed red again. He gripped one blade and sent a blizzard with one cut. Rosso cancelled her spell and dropped down from the pillar. She held her blades high as she plummeted down.

"Terremoto!"

Her blades pierced the stone, sending quakes that shook the pillars, making them crumble. Genesis, by this point, had returned and lurched to run and catch Cloud. Rosso was having none of that.

"Nebbia!"

Genesis ran headlong into a thick cloud of fog that manifested itself into the lobby.

"Genesis?!" Angeal exclaimed as the pillars crumbled fully "Genesis!"

He frantically searched through his collection of bottles and threw a magic nulling potion into the fog. The fog dissipated rapidly and Angeal snarled angrily when he saw his lover knocked out at the foot of the staircase. He scoured the area, spotting hunters that had been revived and Cloud sitting up in the rubble, rubbing his head and looking very disorientated.

"Cloud, behind you!"

Cloud turned and caught the heated blade, hissing as it sizzled through his glove.

"I gave you the chance to be great," Rosso sneered as she knocked him over and dug her heel into his chest "You miserable little coward. I shall give you mercy."

Cloud tried to reach out for his fallen sword and grunted as Rosso dug her other heel into his wrist. He looked up at her helplessly as she raised her blade. She didn't have the chance to stab him through.

"NOT MY FIANCÉ, YOU BITCH!"

Rosso turned sharply as her barrier on the doors shattered and Bain broke through, slamming his front paws down which sent tremors through the lobby. Tifa jumped from his back and braced against his tail before being catapulted at Rosso. Rosso didn't have enough time to react as Tifa pulled back her fist and hooked her around the face. The witch stumbled back as Tifa landed beside Cloud and grabbed his hands, kissing them.

"Oh, Cloud," she whispered and Cloud simply stared at her, a little dazed.

"What about Anne?" he mumbled.

"She's safe, she's safe," Tifa nodded "She's been magically sealed in her room and she can't do any magic without her knife."

"And…?"

Tifa glared up at Rosso who spat a tooth out, glaring at her furiously.

"I need to do what I feel is right," she decided and smiled down at him "And if you don't trust Rosso, then I shouldn't either."

"Pathetic," Rosso sneered as Tifa helped Cloud up "Don't come crying to me when your sister turns into a hideous monster!"

She braced her blades then hesitated.

"The little beast isn't locked up, is she?" she smirked "She's on her way here now and managed to possess you."

"What?" Tifa frowned as Cloud stared at her, beyond confused.

"And being ever the hero, your knight here wanted to take the creature on himself and got himself caught up in the possession himself."

"Rosso…" Cloud growled out a warning.

"They're under the creature's possession! They're against us!"

It was then Cloud noticed the hunters surrounding them from behind.

"Well this isn't good," he grunted as he and Tifa rapidly pressed their backs together, weapons and fists raised as they prepared to fight.

"The four of you, take them out!" Rosso ordered as she, Weiss and the other hunters ascended the stairs "We'll take care of the creature!"

"Angeal!" Cloud called and looked up to see that the alchemist had been knocked out by Weiss "Damn it!"

* * *

Luxiere and Kunsel turned to the end of the corridor as Zack and Aerith clung onto one another. The doors slammed open and Kunsel and Luxiere drank the potions in their hands in one gulp. They began transforming into large beasts as Zack kissed Aerith's cheek.

"Love you forever," he whispered "Promise you'll run if anything happens."

"What?!"

"Promise me, Rith," Zack gripped her hand tighter "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Nor do I want you to get hurt!"

"Just promise me," Zack whispered urgently and Aerith's eyes darted towards the group of Rosso and the hunters when Luxiere and Kunsel, now large, frightening beasts, charged down the corridor to engage in a battle with them.

Aerith hesitated before nodding and Zack downed his potion. Aerith backed away as he fell to all fours and his body bulged before growing to three times his size. He roared and Aerith whispered her supporting spells whilst he charged down the corridor after Luxiere and Kunsel.

* * *

Sephiroth roared as Nero latched himself onto his back. He spun around, trying to shake him off and roared in pain as Nero shot him. Sephiroth suddenly hunched over and Nero was knocked off by Shadow. It bared its teeth at him and bit deeply into his shoulder, making him scream in agony. Sephiroth healed his wound and before Shadow could tear Nero apart, the doors opened.

"Annulla!"

Shadow roared in agony as the spell landed on his tail and he retreated, nursing the tail as it began disappearing.

"Raiko!"

Shadow glanced up at Sephiroth when his magic healed the damage and growled in appreciation. Sephiroth snorted back and Shadow jumped, landing on his shoulders and snarling at Rosso and Weiss who had just come in.

"Nero!"

Weiss was at his brother's side as Sephiroth and Shadow perched themselves on the altar, looking between the three of them warily. Sephiroth snarled at Rosso.

"What did you do with her?" he demanded.

"I saved her," Rosso grinned and Sephiroth snarled louder "She will come to her senses soon. There is no good within you, only a pathetic fool would attempt to find it."

She lifted her blades and grinned at him.

"Your end will tonight!" she declared and Sephiroth roared at her.

Shadow launched himself at her and she raised her blade at him.

"An-"

BANG!

Rosso roared in agony as her blade went flying to the side and her blood splattered on the walls and on the altar. Sephiroth straightened up, frowning in confusion. That hadn't been him… All eyes went towards the sound of fluttering wings and Shadow purred, scampering up to the monstrous creature that had revealed itself from the dark corners of the room. A golden claw supported the dragon as it launched itself onto its chest and the creature stepped into the moonlight, fangs bared and a triple barrelled gun smoking in its free hand.

"Vincent?!" Rosso exclaimed as Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at it "What are you…?!"

"Chaos…" Sephiroth recognised "Chaos when using a human host…"

Chaos cracked its head from side to side before joining Sephiroth's side. It let Shadow go, dropping in between them before aiming the gun again at Rosso. Sephiroth turned his head back to the three intruders and bared his teeth.

"Vincent…" Rosso looked crestfallen "After all he did…?"

Chaos rolled one shoulder before spreading its wings out, its fangs elongating slightly. Rosso narrowed her eyes as she glared at it.

"Very well, I will show no mercy. Guarire!"

Rosso healed her hand as she held her spare blade up in readiness. Chaos just snarled lowly.


	35. Chapter 36

Chaos glanced down at Shadow and nodded once. Shadow purred before bracing and charging at Nero. Nero and Weiss both reacted and split to avoid his attack. Shadow chased Nero onto the balcony as Sephiroth and Weiss engaged in battle. Rosso braced for an attack from Chaos but Chaos just stood there, folding its arms and watching Sephiroth and Weiss. Nero cried out in pain which caught Weiss off guard momentarily.

"Nero!"

Sephiroth took the opportunity to attack Weiss and throw him out of the West Wing and out onto the balcony too. Shadow rained down purple bolts of magic energy which was countered by Nero shooting his guns whilst helping Weiss up from where he hung. Sephiroth charged out and Weiss was thrown onto the rooftops. The hunter landed next to Shadow where they proceeded to engage in a brawl, making their way up the castle. Nero directed his guns at Sephiroth, hopping onto his shoulder when Sephiroth tried to push him off the balcony. He then leapt onto the rooftops to shoot from a higher angle. Sephiroth blocked his attacks and chased him up the rooftops.

* * *

Rosso narrowed her eyes as Chaos lingered upon the altar and then turned to her when the others had disappeared. Chaos flicked Cerberus before holding it up to her. Rosso summoned a barrier before it could shoot and it narrowed its eyes in annoyance.

"Vincent, see sense!"

Chaos stepped back, lowering Cerberus and raising its golden claw. The room shook and Rosso glanced down sharply as the floor beneath her morphed into a skull. Before it could open its mouth to swallow her, she cancelled the barrier spell and dodged. Cerberus was fired briskly and she hissed as it hit her shoulder. She glowered at it before snatching up her other blade and holding it up at it.

"Fuoco!"

Chaos used its wings as a shield to protect itself, growling as the fireballs hit it and left scorching marks. It parted them, glaring at her angrily before using Cerberus again to shoot. Rosso turned into a red blur as she circled Chaos, avoiding the bullets. Chaos twirled round to keep its eyes on her but failed. It stood on the altar, crouched and wings spread, its teeth bared in readiness. Then suddenly, from the corner of its vision, it saw the glint of steel and blocked the swipe that drove it off the altar. Rosso landed neatly before it as it collided into the double doors.

"You're not trying," she snarled and Chaos glared at her.

With a louder snarl, Chaos opened its mouth and sent a sabre of light at her. Rosso dodged to the side as the beam split the altar in half and she smirked.

"Have you gotten old?" she taunted as Chaos ascended and raised Cerberus.

She dodged the oncoming bullets and turned back into a blur of red. Chaos watched her flit from side to side and grunted as she kicked it in the chest and sent it through the doors and into the corridor wall, leaving a crater.

* * *

Sephiroth roared as he summoned another storm, sending the rain pouring down so the hunters would have a sight disadvantage. Shadow was perched on the highest tower after inflicting plenty of wounds on the pathetic non-magic wielders. He was recharging, using Sephiroth's magic storm to help speed the process up. Despite being so frightening and ominous, Shadow's bark was arguably worse than his bite. Sephiroth glared down at the pair as they regrouped at a lower rooftop to use their magic imbued weapons to heal one another. Rosso had given them decent training; they were coping well with using magic for beginners. Sephiroth snorted as he jumped down to their level.

"Kori!"

The rooftop was covered in ice in a split second, making the hunters slip and slid down to cling onto the edge. The white haired hunter was quick to boost the other up onto a different roof before he slipped down and grabbed onto a window ledge. Sephiroth snarled at Nero as he aimed his guns at him, only to be knocked to the side by Shadow. Sephiroth leaned over and saw Weiss gone. He pursued him into the castle, sending spells flying everywhere.

* * *

Chaos snarled as Rosso drove one of her blades into its shoulder and writhed, dropping Cerberus to grip it. Rosso sneered.

"Annulla."

Chaos glared up at her as it began morphing back into its human host. Rosso's eyes widened as she hesitated.

"What are _you _doing here?"

"Aw, how cute, you thought I was Vincent."

Anne grinned up at her as she gripped her blade tighter.

"I really suit this cloak, don't I?" she purred before driving the blade out of her shoulder and standing up with Cerberus in hand.

Rosso retreated as she shot at her a couple of times before grabbing a bottle from her belt and taking a swig. The Wiccan coughed as her wound healed up and Rosso snarled.

"You don't have your knife," she murmured, "but even with it, how could you have gotten through my barrier?"

Anne chuckled dryly as she tipped her head up slightly.

"…They celebrated my birthday here," she said after a moment, "Yuffie, she uses rune stones as a form of magic, she gave me one as a present."

She opened a pouch on her belt and took the rune stone out, thumbing it with a wistful smile.

"She nicknames it 'The Ninja Vanish Rune'," she said with another chuckle, "The proper term…it could be considered the Concealment Rune but to be honest, Ninja Vanish is more appropriate. All I needed to do was spill a little blood on it, with or without a magical blade, for it to work."

She tossed it up and down.

"It can either teleport, hide a person or both," she explained, "So I used it to get myself here, hide myself as well so no-one would give me away and train."

She cocked Cerberus up and smiled at the way Rosso eyed it warily.

"These things," she said as she waved it then flexed the gold gauntlet, "well, after you left I called upon Vincent and he showed me how to get them out of the cloak that he gave to you…which you then gave to me."

She smirked a little at Rosso's disbelieving look.

"Not everyone desires to live forever," she taunted, "Vincent passed away before my parents were wed. Besides, there can be some very fun things to do in the spirit world. I'll be looking forward to that."

"I could help with that," Rosso purred before raising her blade at Anne, "Veleno!"

As Anne clenched her golden encased hand into a fist, blood could be seen through the cracks.

"_Gyakt_!"

She spiralled through the room and onto the balcony before the cloud of poison Rosso summoned could touch her. She landed on the ledge as Rosso began pursuing her.

"_Fyen_!" she shouted whilst gripping the cloak with the gauntlet.

The cloak whirled around her and she merged into it to fly off around the castle.

"Volare!" she heard Rosso shout and turned to see the Stregherian riding her blades after her.

She raised Cerberus and began shooting.

* * *

Sephiroth was on the highest tower roof, throwing spells at Weiss who was on a lower roof to him. Their attention was drawn away as gunshots were heard and Sephiroth saw a red cloak furling and unfurling within the storm…

"ANNE!"

"Be there in a minute!"

Sephiroth watched as Rosso swerved to dodge the bullets and Anne ducked out of his line of sight. Weiss leapt and took the opportunity to drive his blade into Sephiroth, who roared.

* * *

"Zack, now!"

"Right!"

Zack tossed up a bottle from the kitchen when Anne hovered beside it and the Wiccan caught it. She threw it at Rosso who didn't expect it and the bottle exploded into bright pink goo, binding her hands and making her crash into the flowerbeds. Anne paused before glaring at Zack.

"Wrong bottle!"

"Eh?! Which one was I supposed to throw?!"

"The magenta one!"

"That was the magenta one!"

"No, that was the fuchsia one!"

"There's a difference?"

"THERE'S A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE!"

"Behind you!" Kunsel piped up and Anne shot up to avoid a lightning spell from Rosso.

Angeal lobbed the magenta (there is a difference, get it right, Zack) bottle at Rosso where it exploded into a cloud of pink dust that had the witch coughing and spluttering. Anne fired furiously into the cloud and paused when the cloud faded and Rosso was nowhere to be seen. She then dove downwards before Rosso could decapitate her. Anne hovered on the grass before shooting up and grabbing her, spiralling them both into the centre of the storm.

"Anne!"

Anne dropped Rosso and dove down towards the castle with her. Tifa braced herself against Cloud's sword before being catapulted up towards her sister.

"Tifa!" Anne exclaimed and her eyes widened when she saw the Valentine Ritual Dagger in her hand.

"You know I've always been good with the sleight of hand," Tifa whispered as she handed it to her younger sister then began falling into Cloud's waiting arms.

Anne faced Rosso who braced her blades and held the knife up.

"You don't have the will to kill me," Rosso snorted before Anne could stab at her, "You are too soft, too loving."

"You don't know me," Anne growled as she prepared her attack.

She was knocked off course when Nero landed on top of her and pinned her to the roof.

"Gotcha," he smirked down at her and Anne bared her teeth at him.

"Mm, nope, try again~!"

Nero yelped as a phantasmal coyote ran across the rooftops and knocked him off Anne. Aerith skipped along the rooftops and helped Anne up.

"Are you alright?" she asked whilst brushing her down.

"Never better," Anne grinned.

"You…"

The girls jumped as Shadow flew into Nero and drove him off the rooftops.

"NERO!"

Anne's eyes widened as she saw Nero fall to his death. She covered her mouth and Aerith brought her into a tight hug so she wouldn't have to see Cinnamon and her cubs make sure the hunter was indeed dead. She shook as Aerith pressed her face into the top of her head.

"Oh my goodness, this wasn't how it was supposed to be," the older girl whimpered.

"You bitches! Whores!"

The girls looked up to see Weiss, beyond angry.

"I'll kill you! All of you!"

Aerith and Anne didn't have time to react as he launched himself onto them.

"ANNE!"

They ducked as Sephiroth flew across and knocked Weiss off course.

"She's in the West Wing!" Sephiroth said as the hunter landed and gripped onto the ledge of a gutter, "Be careful!"

"Right!"

"Anne, wait!"

Anne paused in her movement to slide down onto the balcony of the West Wing.

"When I say 'be careful', I _mean _to be careful."

Anne turned her head to the cursed king and smiled at him.

"I will," she said before sliding down.

Aerith hesitated in following before turning to smile at Sephiroth.

"She'll make a fine wife," she said with a cheeky wink before sliding down.

Sephiroth snorted before turning to brace for Weiss's attack.

* * *

Rosso was perched on the edge of one of the broken pieces of the altar, drinking a bottle of what looked like Anne's healing potion. The Wiccan grabbed her belt and snarled when she realised that it was indeed her potion.

"Such powerful effects," Rosso purred as her wounds were healed, "Such talent. It would be such a waste to kill you, Anne."

"No need to kill me, just either surrender or die," Anne said as she held her knife up.

Rosso glanced at her and crushed the glass bottle in her hand.

"Anne, join me," she purred as she stood, "We can do so much together. Why fight? We could rule the world. Together."

"Not interested," Anne snorted as her gauntleted hand gripped the dagger, ready to draw blood from her bare hand.

Rosso glared at her before readying her blades.

"I'll make you see my way," she smirked before aiming them at her "Fulmine!"

Anne wasn't quick enough to dodge…

"Oh, I don't think so! Baria!"

…but apparently a certain redhead was quick enough to cast a barrier spell for her. Anne jolted as the bolt of lightning landed on the shield and she hugged Genesis tightly.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I missed you," she whined.

"Of course you did," Genesis rolled his eyes.

"Kasai!"

Rosso turned as Yuffie burst in with her rune stones and began shooting fireballs.

"Take this, ya old fucking bitch!"

Rosso coughed as Cid threw a light blue bottle at her, which exploded into bright glittery dust.

"I said the baby blue bottle, not the powder blue one!" Genesis shouted as the barrier faded.

"Oh don't get your panties in a twist!" Cid growled as Rosso staggered onto the balcony.

"Hello?"

Rosso looked up and winced as Aerith gave her a roundhouse kick into her face as she slipped down from the roof.

"That's my girl!" Zack cheered as he and the rest of the cursed that could enter the castle arrived.

Rosso snarled at them before glancing at the rosebush. She smirked.

"Fight all you want, you'll never break the curse in time," she said.

"Shut up!"

Anne raised her knife to drive it into Rosso, only to be grabbed and thrown onto the broken altar.

"Anne!"

"Legare!"

All the servants were bound by ribbons of red and held down as Rosso advanced towards Anne as she recovered.

"You won't save your precious king on time," she sneered.

Anne glowered at her before raising her blade and driving it into her palm. She roared the spell with her pain.

"_Pyyra, surdz, pynqs_!"

* * *

Weiss and Sephiroth jumped from roof to roof, dodging and throwing spells. The rain poured more and more, their vision blurring more and more until Sephiroth finally got his hands on Weiss. Weiss's grip on his blades slipped as he was held over Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth roared in victory before bracing his muscles. Red rained down on him as the two halves of Weiss were thrown down into the gardens, where a hungry Bain was waiting. Shadow landed on Sephiroth's shoulder, sniffing and licking the blood off Sephiroth's silver fur. Sephiroth snapped at him and Shadow jumped, baring his teeth at him.

A flash of light drew his attention to the West Wing as a fiery image of a phoenix shot out into the sky and screeched. Sephiroth heard cries for Anne's name and chased after Shadow who flew towards the balcony. The king landed with a thud to see Tifa shaking and cradling a charred body.


	36. Chapter 37

"Anne?!"

Tifa looked up at Sephiroth as he fell to his knees beside Anne and took her from her arms. Anne let out a soft cough, a puff of smoke leaving her lips.

"…That spell went differently than planned," she rasped and Sephiroth cradled her close to him.

"You idiot, I said to be careful!" he growled.

"And I was. …I just didn't have a lot of opportunities to practice this spell."

She sighed and leaned her head on his chest.

"I failed you…"

"No, no, no you haven't!"

Sephiroth looked around desperately, looking up at Angeal who shook his head and then to Aerith who looked tearful.

"There must be something that must be done!"

"The magic is far too strong and it will be difficult considering that Anne's core might break from our magic," Genesis replied sullenly.

Shadow whined as he nosed Anne with flattened ears. Anne raised a shaky hand to place on his head.

"Sorry, boy," she whispered, "Looks like I'm going to the spirit world sooner than I thought…"

"Anne, don't talk like that!" Tifa barked as she spun on her heel, "You all have such power, can you really not do anything?!"

"Magic isn't that simple," Yuffie flattened her ears as she thumbed one of her rune stones, "Not to mention that phoenix spell is ancient, Anne isn't trained enough to control it."

"It's also quite complex," Angeal grimaced as he knelt by Anne's feet, taking the cloak in his hand that wasn't burnt to a crisp, "It wiped Rosso out but left the Valentine items untouched."

Anne closed her eyes as Sephiroth looked around in despair before nestling his head in her chest.

"Iyasu…suitoru!"

Genesis's eyes widened.

"Sephiroth, no!" he barked as Sephiroth clutched onto Anne tightly.

Anne gasped as she opened her eyes, the burns on her body disappearing quickly and appearing on Sephiroth's body. The servants watched in despair as Sephiroth clung onto Anne until he dropped to the floor.

"Sephiroth, what did you do?!" Anne shrieked as she ran to cradle his head on her bare lap.

Sephiroth snarled as he lay there, limp and weak.

"How the hell were you conscious with this amount of damage?" he rasped as Anne carefully brushed his blackened fur, "…I think some organs are now dust."

"No, no, you don't deserve this!" Anne cried as she flexed her gauntlet, "_Helnenn_!"

Her magic glowed but failed and she glared at it. She flexed it again, more blood seeping out of her hand.

"_Helnenn_! _Helnenn_!"

"Anne, it's no use!" Aerith grabbed her hand as more and more blood began spilling onto the floor, "That spell is designed for the person to lay down their life for another's!"

"But why?!" Anne cried with tearful eyes, "Why me?!"

Sephiroth snorted as he nosed her bare stomach.

"Silly girl," he whispered, "Because it's you."

Anne looked down at him as he closed his eyes submissively.

"In all my worthless life, keeping you alive will be my greatest thing that I'll be proud of."

"You stupid…stupid man!" Anne whined as she leaned her head into his chest "You're a good man! Stop belittling yourself like that! You're a good man, you just can't forget the sins you've committed!"

All the servants stared at her with wide eyes as Anne cradled Sephiroth's head.

"And it's because you want to atone that makes you a good man," she whispered as tears fell onto his snout, "You just can't see for yourself…"

The final bud of the bush opened up into full bloom, showering red dust over the couple. Sephiroth lay there in the rain with Anne as the dust fell onto his body and began shining. Anne opened her eyes when he began moving and jolted backwards as his body began lifting up into the air. Everyone else backed off as his blackened fur slowly turned back into its silver beauty. Suddenly, ribbons of light surrounded Aerith.

"Aerith?!" Zack exclaimed as Aerith looked at them in alarm.

"Zack…I…"

Aerith gasped as with a pop, her coyote ears disappeared into white sparks of light. Her tail disappeared too as she raised her hands to feel her head and stare at her fiancé in surprise.

"They're…I…"

Zack jumped as it began happening to him and the others. Tifa and Cloud watched on in awe as one by one, their individual tails and ears disappeared into light. Genesis nursed the sides of his head, looking towards Angeal who was craning his head to look behind him, rubbing the spot where his tail had been.

"Angeal…"

He raced across the balcony and pounced into his lover's arms.

"Angeal!"

He clung onto him tightly as Angeal hugged back.

"There, there," he whispered, "It's gone, the curse is broken."

A sudden white light encompassed Sephiroth's body. Everyone shielded their eyes as his massive paws shrunk into slim pale hands, his tail shrink back into his body and finally his snout recede into his face to form a perfectly human nose, finishing his revert to his human form. He blinked his eyes open, as if waking from a dream, his semi-nude form hovering momentarily as he was gently placed on his feet. He looked at his body in awe, flexing his hands and turning to face the servants. He opened his mouth before closing it to lick his lips. But before he could say anything, Genesis approached him and backhanded him sharply.

"What did I tell you about leaving things to the last minute?!" he yelled with tears pricking his eyes, "I thought you were going to die, for Gaia's sake! Don't scare us like that!"

Sephiroth nursed his red cheek whilst Zack spun Aerith around in the rain happily behind him.

"…I'll make it up to you," he said and Genesis folded his arms.

"You'd better."

"You're not still hurt anywhere are you?" Angeal asked as he approached next.

"No, I've been completely restored," Sephiroth murmured as he felt his torso up.

"We're human again!" Yuffie cried as she launched herself onto Cid's back.

"Oi, watch it!" Cid barked as he stumbled, "I'm an old man, you need to be careful!"

"Your Majesty!"

Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz burst into the West Wing, their tails and ears gone too. They looked around in awe as Kunsel and Luxiere grinned when they felt their heads and watched the others celebrate. Sephiroth turned to them and smiled softly.

"Good to see you still alive," he nodded.

He looked around, smiling wider until it faltered slightly.

"Where's Anne?"

The servants paused in their celebrations to look around. Cloud flinched inwardly as all eyes went to him and he glanced over in the direction where Tifa was hugging her little sister. Sephiroth made his way over, tilting his head and smiling down at the Lockharts.

"Anne."

Tifa looked up at him before pulling Vincent's cloak around Anne's body more. Anne stood up straight, holding the cloak still and looking up at Sephiroth.

"Your Majesty," she mumbled as she did a little curtsey.

Sephiroth chuckled as he cupped her cheek.

"Relax," he purred as Anne's gaze remained on the floor, "It's still me, Sephiroth."

His eyes softened as Anne shifted on the spot. He tilted her face up and leaned in towards her lips. He was knocked back when Anne wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly.

"Don't…scare me like that," she mumbled as he took a moment to process the situation before hugging her back, "I was really worried."

Shadow crooned when he sat by Anne's heels as Sephiroth kissed her head.

"Your fault, you daft little thing," he chuckled.

Anne pulled back and gave him a firm glare.

"It got me results," she said and Sephiroth snorted, cupping her cheek as he stared down into her eyes.

"Right, I think we all earned a good night's rest!" Aerith clapped her hands and Anne broke away from Sephiroth's hold to pick up Shadow who was whining for attention, "I'll prepare a room for Tifa."

"Tifa can just sleep in Anne's room because she can sleep with me," Sephiroth said and Tifa looked at him sharply.

"Not when you're a human," Genesis coughed and Sephiroth glared at him, "Give the lady some space, she was at the edge of death."

"So was I."

"Oh, you'll always find a way to survive, you're too stubborn," Genesis scoffed as he linked arms with Anne, ignoring Shadow's growl, "It's past your bedtime too, little monster."

Shadow hissed and Anne patted his back whilst she was marched out of the West Wing.

"Actually, I would like to be with Anne," Tifa said as she followed after Genesis, "See you in the morning, Cloud!"

"Sure," Cloud murmured as he skulked out, Yuffie and Zack prancing around him eagerly.

Luxiere and Kunsel followed the brothers out as Cid cracked his neck.

"Don't think you'll be comfortable in here as a human," he commented and Angeal nodded.

"I'll prepare a room for you inside then, Your Majesty?"

Sephiroth was silent for a moment and nodded. Angeal nudged his shoulder.

"You'll have plenty of time to catch up tomorrow," he reassured him before leading him out, "In the meantime, you both need your rest."

"Angeal…"

Angeal paused to look up at Sephiroth who looked dejected.

"I want to be in the same corridor as her. I miss her aura."

Angeal cocked an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Just don't try to sneak in like last time, her sister looked like she was going to murder you," he said and Sephiroth frowned, "You had very heavy footsteps as a giant fox and Luxiere saw you sneak into her room that night."

Sephiroth's cheeks were dusted a light pink as he followed Angeal through the castle.

* * *

Sephiroth neatened himself before a mirror, rolling his shoulders awkwardly as he got used to the fact he was wearing clothes after so long. He waggled his fingers before him, thinking that it was a dream that he was a human again. He smiled. He had a special little Wiccan to thank for that. He stepped away from the mirror and left his bedroom to walk across the corridor. He knocked briskly on Anne's bedroom door.

"Come in!" was the muffled answer.

Sephiroth took in a deep breath as he opened the door and stepped in. His smile faltered as he saw Anne bustling back and forth between a trunk and around her room, a muffin wedged into her mouth.

"Oh, Your Majesty!" Anne exclaimed as she took the muffin away and swallowed her mouthful.

"Sephiroth, you can still call me Sephiroth," the king insisted as Shadow flitted back and forth, dropping things into the trunk on the bed, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I like to prepare early for journeys," Anne said as she placed the muffin down on the vanity and went to the wardrobe, "Especially since there's so much out there to explore."

She turned to him and smiled.

"Tifa finally approved of me going out there to travel," she said brightly, "I'd better take some of the dresses Aerith made for me…"

"You're leaving? So soon?" Sephiroth said, disheartened.

"Well you've probably got a lot of duties to sort out, now that the curse is gone," Anne said as she picked out two dresses and went to the trunk to fold them and put them in, "I don't want to get in the way."

"You can stay, for a bit longer," Sephiroth said as he walked up to her.

"It's fine," Anne smiled, "I'll be sure to visit though! You are my big brother after all, right?"

Sephiroth looked down at her and grabbed her hands before they could grab anything else to put in the trunk.

"Anne, just stay still for a moment."

Anne blinked as he sat down on the bed and pulled her down to sit next to him.

"Why the rush? You can stay a couple of days, you still need to recover."

"I was planning to just go back home and sort my other stuff out," Anne shrugged, "Oh, yeah, I wanted to ask. Would it be possible to borrow some of your books from the library?"

"Anne, could you stop thinking of travelling for just a minute and listen to me?"

Anne looked up at him quietly as he stared down at her, finding the right words.

"I would like you to stay, you won't get in the way of anything."

"But I don't really want to burden you."

"You won't!"

"Why do you want me to stay?"

Sephiroth exhaled sharply as he looked up at the ceiling for a moment. He nodded before taking in a deep breath and looking down at the Wiccan.

"I love you, Anne," he said and Anne tensed "I wish to marry you."

Anne was silent. She stared at Sephiroth with wide eyes as he stared back longingly. She broke the eye contact to look away.

"I…I…"

Sephiroth tilted his head with a pleading gaze as she pulled her hands away.

"Anne, I…"

"Excuse me."

Sephiroth watched as she dashed out of the room, Shadow at her heels. He felt his heart break.


	37. Chapter 38

"Anne?"

Tifa blinked as the young Wiccan bustled past her.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no, just need some fresh air!" Anne said as she and Shadow jogged down the corridor, "I'm fine!"

"I thought you were…"

Anne disappeared around the corner before Tifa could finish her sentence. She stood there in the corridor, slightly dumbfounded. She turned and walked over back to the room where she saw Sephiroth on the bed, looking down at the floor.

"Your Majesty?"

Sephiroth glanced up at her and Tifa felt uneasy with the way his eyes seemed clouded.

"Miss Lockhart," he nodded as he stood.

"Is something wrong?"

Sephiroth brushed past her in the doorway, pausing as he stared down at the carpet.

"…How long has your sister hated men?"

Tifa's heart dropped.

"For a while, it might have been around the time I explained what would happen if I married my fiancé," she murmured, "Don't tell me you proposed to her?"

Sephiroth hesitated before storming off towards the West Wing.

* * *

Shadow pranced around Anne as she paced around the garden. Cinnamon and her cubs eyed the black dragon as Anne ran her hands through her hair, eyes wide as they darted left and right as if searching for an answer.

"Marriage…" she murmured and Shadow hissed, "Marrying…Sephiroth… …"

She flopped onto the grass, Shadow purring and nuzzling her head as she drummed her hands on the ground.

"I don't want to get married…"

Shadow nodded as if it was the best idea.

"But it's Sephiroth."

He growled lowly.

"But it's marriage."

He snorted.

"And that'll most likely lead to children."

Shadow let out a louder growl whilst Cinnamon's ears pricked up at the mention of children.

"I want children. But not now. And to have Sephiroth's…"

She flinched and began rolling around the garden.

"I don't know!"

_"Good morning."_

Anne sat up and looked up at Vincent with a surprised look.

"Morning…"

Vincent crouched down before her and backhanded her.

"Ow!" Anne yelped as she rubbed her cheek, "How did that even hurt, you're not even solid!"

_"Simple spell," _Vincent shrugged, _"But anyway, how many times did I tell you to not to use that phoenix spell?!"_

"It got results!"

_"You could have died!"_

"I didn't!"

_"You could have! You won't always be able to cheat death!"_

"I can try," Anne pouted and Vincent glowered at her.

_"I absolutely forbid it."_

Anne folded her arms and looked to the side moodily. Vincent crouched down before her and ruffled her hair.

_"Now…" _he said as he settled himself into a sitting position, _"The second issue."_

Anne's pout fell as he looked at her with a soft smile.

_"You're worried about marrying Sephiroth."_

Anne nodded sullenly and Vincent folded his arms.

"What should I do?" she asked.

_"Whatever makes you happy."_

Anne looked up at him as he looked to the side.

_"That's the most important thing for me," _he said _"I want you to be happy."_

Anne dropped her eyes as she fiddled with her fingers.

"To be happy?"

Her brow furrowed as she clenched her fists.

"Happy…"

She looked up at Vincent pleadingly, as if to give her a bigger hint and her ancestor just raised an eyebrow at her.

_"What will make you happy?" _he asked and Anne huffed, _"Anne, what do you want in life?"_

"What do I want?" she murmured whilst sucking in her cheek thoughtfully, "I want…to travel."

_"Yes?"_

"But if I marry Sephiroth, I might not be able to travel the world."

_"Perhaps."_

"But if I go…"

Anne looked at Vincent with a confused face.

"The thought makes me sad and it hurts here…"

She pressed her hands to her chest and Vincent's lips twitched slightly.

_"What kind of hurt?"_

"It aches," Anne's eyes began tearing up, "Am I sick or something?"

_"I cannot say," _Vincent replied, _"This is something that you need to figure out."_

"But it's so different!" Anne burst out, "I've never felt anything like this! I don't even know where to look to get answers! None of the books I've studied has talked about this."

_"Not all books hold answers," _Vincent said shortly as he rose, _"You're a very smart girl, Anne. You'll figure it out."_

Anne jumped to her feet as he disappeared before holding her chest and staring down sadly.

"But…I don't know what to do…"

* * *

_"Absolutely not!"_

Sephiroth ran a finger around his teacup as his mother's ghost paced up and down the balcony of the West Wing, looking very furious.

_"How DARE you propose to that ungrateful, pathetic, little witch!" _she shrieked as Sephiroth glanced at her fleetingly, _"It's only for the best that she'll reject you! And you need to focus on rebuilding your kingdom. Only then can we focus on finding a suitable woman to have your children."_

"Anne can…"

_"Oh please!"_

Lucrecia scoffed to interrupt her son.

_"Her magic blood, no matter how much Chaos she's absorbed from you, is feeble! Her spawn at best will become the Behemoths and Couerls that she loves so much!"_

Sephiroth glared at her as she turned away, folding her arms and muttering incoherently.

"Her Valentine blood, is that not good enough?"

_"Valentine," _Lucrecia spat, _"Their blood is best spilt!"_

Sephiroth growled and coughed when he remembered he was human. Lucrecia glowered at him.

_"Such a silly infatuation!" _she snarled as Sephiroth glowered back, _"I forbid you to marry her! Let her leave, let her go and pursue knowledge fruitlessly!"_

Sephiroth opened his mouth as she narrowed her eyes at him.

_"It is what she wants, after all."_

Sephiroth's voice died as Lucrecia turned to the gates.

_"Once she's gone, she is gone," _she said decidedly, _"Then we can focus on more important matters."_

Sephiroth gripped his teacup so hard that it broke.

"I am not your little _boy _anymore," he snarled suddenly and Lucrecia turned to him sharply, "You are my mother and I love you but I won't remain under your thumb."

Lucrecia looked shocked before glaring and gripping her fists.

_"You dare disobey your mother?!"_

"Considering where your actions got me?"

Sephiroth turned from her.

"Be gone and stay in the spirit world. No-one wants you here."

Lucrecia looked crestfallen as she began fading away. It left Sephiroth with a clear view of the gates. His heart fell as he slumped, not bothering to dry his hand from the tea that covered it. He practically had the front row seat to watch Anne leave here forever. He wouldn't be able to stop her. Or maybe he could. Sephiroth shook his head furiously as dark thoughts began to awaken. Perhaps he could catch and lock her up, make sure she'd never leave him. Or use a spell to make her love him back. No, no, no, don't think like that! Sephiroth gripped the soaking table cloth, never taking his eyes off the gate. He had to let her go. He wanted her to be happy, didn't he?

"Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth turned around sharply and all reason flew away.

"Anne!"

Anne coughed as the king rose and threw his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have scared you like that!" he gushed out as Anne tensed up, "I…I thought things would have changed but I was mistaken, just don't leave me…"

"Sephiroth…"

"I know, I'm being selfish," Sephiroth sank to his knees and buried his face in her stomach, "I can understand that you still hate men but I can change back into that monstrous creature if you prefer that!"

"Sephiroth!"

Anne grabbed his shoulders to shake him.

"Calm yourself! Are you not the proud king that I know and love?"

Sephiroth looked up at her in surprise and Anne's cheeks flared up. They were silent for a while and the Wiccan sighed, closing her eyes.

"Sephiroth…" she murmured slowly, "I…I'm open to the thought of marrying you. On one condition!"

Sephiroth had nearly jumped for joy and was kneeling up straight, hands at Anne's hips poised to spin her around in the air. He looked up at Anne in suspense as she looked up at the ceiling to take in a deep breath.

"I want to travel, I still want to do that."

"And we can."

"Your kingdom?"

"Genesis is capable of standing in for a few years."

"He is not going to be happy with that news."

"He'll deal with it."

"And one more thing."

"Anything."

Anne placed her hands on Sephiroth's wrists.

"No children until we get back from travelling."

"Of course. Anything else?"

"Nothing extravagant for our wedding."

"Agreed."

"…"

Anne blushed as she ducked her head.

"I'm done."

She yelped as Sephiroth jumped to his feet and spun her around happily.

"Anne!" he cried out happily before bringing her into a firm embrace, "Thank you…thank you for making me the happiest man in the world."

"Any time, can you put me down now?"

Sephiroth grinned up at her before shaking his head and bringing her down into a sweet kiss. Anne's cheeks flared up and they jumped when the teapot on the table exploded. Sephiroth grinned as he set Anne down carefully, kissing her forehead.

"I look forward to the honeymoon if your magic can be this active when your emotions kick in."

The table splintered as Anne covered her face and ran off.

"I change my mind! I'm not marrying you!"

Sephiroth smirked as he began chasing her around the castle.

* * *

"An engagement ball?" Anne stared at Aerith who had bright pink cheeks after the news had been delivered to her Yuffie and Tifa.

"Just a small one, you know, we've got three couples that are engaged in the castle, we can just celebrate yours with the others…"

"It's not a big deal," Anne shrugged.

"Anne. You're engaged. That's a huge deal."

Anne glared at her sister's blunt tone.

"Also, I get to decorate your wedding!" Yuffie cheered.

"We had bets," Aerith folded her arms, "Genesis gets to be your maid of honour by the way."

Anne stared at her incredulously before the seamstress began giggling.

"I'm joking, of course," she grinned.

"Still, you don't have to," Anne mumbled.

"We kind of do, Angeal's already in the kitchen making preparations for tomorrow."

"It's going to be tomorrow?!"

"The sooner, the better!"

Anne's eyes widened as measuring tape fell out from her sleeves.

"Aerith?"

"Tifa," Aerith grinned at the marital artist, "hold down your sister so I can plan the perfect wedding dress."

"If you'll do mine."

"With pleasure."

"Wait, no!"

Anne screamed as Tifa grabbed her before she could run out of the room.

"Help!" she shrieked as Yuffie cackled away whilst Aerith approached her, "SEPHIROTH!"

"Not a chance," the king murmured as he walked past with a couple of books, "Got a kingdom to put back together."

"GET BACK HERE!"

* * *

"Nope."

Anne froze as Tifa folded her arms whilst Shadow wriggled around the room, growling eagerly.

"What?"

"You put that knife down," Tifa said sternly as she plucked the Valentine Ritual Dagger out of Anne's hand and placed it down on the vanity.

"But…"

"Now, now, just forget about magic for once!" she said sternly, "We can relax, let our hair down…"

Anne raised her eyebrows as Tifa eyed her fairy-tale braid (expertly done by Aerith).

"Metaphorically. And you look beautiful, don't let that ruin it."

Anne stumbled in her forest green ball gown, looking at the matching gloves.

"Are these necessary?"

"Fashion, don't question it," Tifa smiled as she put in her earrings.

"Yeah but you don't get to wear them," Anne pouted.

"Not in this number," Tifa smiled as she twirled in her red mermaid dress.

Anne rolled her eyes as Shadow darted out of the room eagerly and her sister dragged her out.

"I might have to teach you how to do a simple dance," she murmured.

"I know the basics," Anne murmured back as they began hurrying down to the ballroom, "Tifa, I can't dance in front of all those people!"

"They're your friends, right?" Tifa frowned.

"Plus a 'few' of your friends you dragged along," Anne narrowed her eyes at Tifa.

"I couldn't leave them hanging," Tifa shrugged and grinned as she pulled her younger sister into the ballroom, "Voila, there's your fiancé!"

Anne stumbled rather inelegantly into Sephiroth's back. The king jumped, looking round as a few giggles echoed in the crowd and Anne stumbled back, her cheeks flushed. He greeted her with a smile, making a sweeping gesture to peck her hand.

"My princess," he purred and Anne's hand twitched.

"I'll smack that smirk off your face," she vowed.

"Oh?" Sephiroth cocked a curious eyebrow.

"Would you rather I spelled it off?"

Sephiroth twirled her around and brought his arm around her waist. Genesis was quick to spell the instruments in the corner to life and Sephiroth led Anne onto the dance floor. Anne blushed as she looked away from Sephiroth's smug look. They danced a simple waltz as the onlookers watched whilst Anne couldn't help but worry.

"Anne? Is something wrong?"

Anne looked up at him and shrugged helplessly.

"I feel like I've forgotten something," she said and Sephiroth tilted his head.

Sephiroth frowned.

"Like your lack of a scar," he murmured and Anne rolled her eyes.

"I like my face scar free thank you very much," she sniffed as she rubbed under her eyes, "But no, I'm just…it's like something's blocking off this memory that feels so important."

"You'll remember soon enough," Sephiroth reassured her and Anne shook her head.

"No, like I need to remember now because it feels like…"

Anne's heart stopped with the rest of her body. She stared across the hall in terror as Sephiroth paused, asking if she was alright. Time slowed as Anne began shaking to the core. Did she cast the phoenix spell? Why yes, she did and nearly died doing it. But did Rosso die?

"Annulla."

The music stopped abruptly and the spelled instruments fell to the floor. Everyone whirled around and Sephiroth stepped to the side to look. Anne hadn't felt more scared as the very vengeful Stregherian unfolded her arms and stepped out of the shadows, towards the couple. Everyone backed away as she brought her blades out. In the light, Anne could see the burns on her body. Her spell had hit then.

"Oh, congratulations on the engagement," she purred with venom and held one blade up at Sephiroth who dragged Anne behind him, "You wouldn't mind if I delivered my wedding present early?"


	38. Chapter 39

"Rosso, the curse is broken," Sephiroth said slowly as no-one dared to move "You don't have to continue this bitter campaign for revenge."

"I won't be satisfied until I see you ruined and broken," Rosso snarled "I would have happily left you alone if Little Miss Feminist here had rejected and left you."

Anne squeezed Sephiroth's hand tightly as she leaned her forehead on his back.

"But no, it looks like I'll have to resort to killing your little bitch instead."

She suddenly raised her hand as Angeal and Genesis braced themselves to attack but Sephiroth barked a sharp order for them to stay still. She smirked.

"Not so brave now, are we?" she sneered "Hiding behind your precious king, cowering like a pathetic little wife."

Anne snarled as her eyes flashed and Sephiroth squeezed her hand tightly.

"No, she wants you to lose control," he whispered "It'll make it easier for her to kill you."

"Yes, go on!" Rosso barked sharply "Obey your man! Become a meek obedient slave!"

Anne roared and Sephiroth turned around sharply to hug her.

"Anne, please," he hissed as he kept a close eye on Rosso "Anne, don't listen to her, you'll hurt yourself, remember the first time you transformed?"

Anne glared at Rosso, a steady growl rising her throat. Rosso smirked as she held up an empty bottle with little purple droplets. Angeal's eyes widened.

"Anne, get out of here!"

"A magic draining potion," she purred slowly as Anne stared at it "It was very effective against your little dragon."

Anne's heart stopped as Sephiroth began pulling her away, yelling at Rosso. She couldn't hear much as she kept her stance, refusing to be dragged anywhere.

"Shadow?"

She looked around, suddenly afraid and worried. She couldn't see Shadow.

"Shadow?!"

She pulled against Sephiroth as Rosso blocked oncoming spells.

"Shadow!" she shrieked "What have you done to him?! _What have you done to my baby_?!"

"Anne, Anne, ssh…"

"Anne, that's not my bottle, she's lying!"

"SHADOW!" Anne yelled as her eyes began to slit "SHADOW!"

She roared as she pushed Sephiroth away and launched herself at Rosso, turning into Galian Beast. Rosso smirked as she thrust her blade into Anne's chest before the transformation was complete. Anne gasped as she grasped the blade, turning back into her human form.

"ANNE!" Sephiroth cried out and crashed into the barrier that Rosso erected around them.

Screams filled the hall as Tifa joined Sephiroth to try and break through Rosso's barrier. Rosso just laughed as Sephiroth slammed his fists against her shield, throwing spell after spell as Tifa delivered futile blow after futile blow.

"Just stand there and watch!" she barked "I'll kill your precious little princess right in front of your eyes!"

"Anne! Anne!" Tifa cried out as she continued slamming her fists into the barrier "Anne, no, no! Not my sister, no! Leave my baby sister alone!"

Rosso grinned up at Anne as she looked down at her with tearful eyes. She dropped the bottle in her hand as Angeal arrived by Sephiroth's side.

"Shadow is still alive!"

Anne looked at him wearily, her head feeling dizzy.

"Shadow?"

"Yuffie has just found him, she's going to heal him up and he'll be alright, trust me!"

Rosso chuckled dryly.

"It doesn't matter," she purred "You'll be long dead."

Anne looked down at her as she licked her lips.

"Any last words?"

Anne coughed as she felt blood dripping down her legs, through her hands and out of her mouth.

"_A-A-Anyg_…" she hissed and Rosso tilted her head and Anne clutched the blade tighter, more blood dripping down it "MAX!"

Rosso looked down sharply as a large blue circle appeared in front of her and backed off quickly in her dome, Anne still impaled by the blade. A blinding flash of white filled the hall and Rosso shook her head to clear her vision. She peered up as everyone else that was left in the hall (the majority having run away) rubbed their eyes. Her eyes widened as a Malboro stood in front of her, looking a little confused as it looked around curiously.

"A MALBORO?!" Sephiroth barked as Tifa's eyes lit up "Max is a _Malboro_?!"

_"You tamed a Malboro?!"_

Vincent was standing by Sephiroth with a similar gobsmacked expression.

_"Anne, what have I told you…?!"_

"Save…it…" Anne coughed as she reached a hand out towards Max "Hey…b-boy. I m-m-missed you…"

Max crooned questioningly as it faced her and took in the scene. It was silent for a few moments before Max roared fiercely, charging at Rosso. Rosso was quick to cancel her barrier and drop Anne to run away from the oncoming beast. Sephiroth caught Anne as Tifa and Vincent ran to be with her. They watched as Max chased Rosso to the other side of the hall and unleashed his bad breath on her. Tifa gripped Anne's hand as Sephiroth kissed the puncture wound.

"It's not fatal," he said "Iyasu."

Anne choked as the hole in her body healed up and she buried her face into his shoulder.

"Ow…"

"I warned you," Sephiroth whispered as he kissed her forehead.

"When have I ever listened to you?" Anne drawled.

_"You should start," _Vincent snorted _"Advice shouldn't be scoffed at."_

Anne huffed as she sat up slowly and bore witness to Rosso hacking off one of Max's tentacles which trigged his pained roar. She snarled as she kicked off her shoes to charge across the hall barefoot.

"Not my baby, you bitch!"

Rosso turned too late as Anne delivered a right hook and nipped her finger.

"_Wynt_!"

"Anne, no!"

Rosso was blown away as Anne ignored Sephiroth (again) and hugged Max's tentacles that circled her body.

"Oh, Max, my poor baby," she whispered as she kissed them "I'm so sorry, here, let me look…"

Max crooned as she pressed her hand to the stump and growled as Rosso got up to her feet.

"I will severe that pretty little head off your body!" she declared as she began marching over with her blades.

_"Stop!"_

Rosso halted as Vincent ran between them. She dropped her blades in shock as she stared at him whilst Anne leaned on Max, watching languidly.

"Vincent?" she whispered as Vincent placed his hands on his hips.

_"Time has been kind to you," _he commented.

"Vincent, why are you getting in the way?" Rosso asked "He killed all your family!"

_"Indeed," _Vincent nodded _"however, I learned to let go."_

"Let go? It's unforgivable! My sisters weren't even ten years old! Your niece was pregnant! He slaughtered them all like they were expendable!"

_"What good would it have done me to have lived in complete hatred of him?" _Vincent asked _"Yes, his mother broke my heart, killed my family and locked me up in a coffin for months but she's dead. He still has a life ahead of him to make."_

Rosso narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's unforgivable," she said and Vincent sighed "How can you just lie down and say that it's alright for him to have murdered thousands! And you!"

Anne jumped as Rosso pointed at her.

"How could you love such a corrupted man?!" she snarled "And agree to marry him?! He trapped you here!"

"I stayed out of my own will!" Anne protested.

"Under the threat that he would kill your sister!"

"Can you just look past all this history?!" Anne shrieked "He's made mistakes but he's not going to up and kill more people!"

"He's a power hungry bastard!"

"No, he's not!" Anne groaned as she palmed her forehead and sighed "Not after what I nearly went through. He's learnt his lesson, we've all done our time because of your curse, can we just not move on?"

Rosso picked her blades up and Anne sighed.

"I'm getting sick and tired of this," she huffed as she batted Max's tentacles away.

_"Anne, be careful with how much magic you're using."_

"Yeah, yeah."

Anne closed her eyes as a mask covered her face and a chainsaw manifested in her hand. She started it up as Rosso braced herself. Sephiroth and Tifa watched with slight amusement as the two ladies began fighting, chainsaw to sword. Magic was thrown everywhere as Sephiroth braced himself to try and get a hit in. Before he could move, Rosso disarmed Anne and thrust her blade into her side

"Annulla!"

The mask disappeared from Anne's face to show it contorted in pain. She threw her hand up at Rosso.

"_Wynt, zikha_!"

Rosso was sent spiralling up into the ceiling, smacking into it as Anne fell once the blade was out of her body. Rosso dropped down and managed to slow her descent as Sephiroth ran for Anne and Tifa charged after Rosso.

"Iyasu," Sephiroth healed her wound and pressed a hand to her head "You're feverish."

"Tis nothing," Anne breathed.

_"Tis nothing my derrière!"_

Vincent stormed towards the couple, arms folded.

_"I warned you!"_

"You could help your other descendent," Sephiroth said pointedly as Vincent glanced at the fight between Tifa and Rosso.

_"I could," _he sighed _"but it wouldn't be a fair fight."_

"Rosso doesn't fight fair!" Sephiroth barked.

_"Point taken."_

Vincent disappeared and spells began shooting at Rosso from different angles. Rosso sighed as she waved her hand.

"Fantasma, stodire!"

_"Ugh!"_

Anne lurched as she saw Vincent stumble and fall to the floor.

_"What kind of spell is that?!"_

"Stay out of this," Rosso snorted as Vincent held his head, hunched over.

"Vincent!"

Tifa yelped as Rosso lunged her blade forward and cut her cheek after she dodged.

"Tifa!"

Rosso blocked Cloud's attack, who had just come back with his swords. They glared at one another before ice covered the dance floor. Pillars of ice grew for Cloud to use as Rosso's blades grew hot and began melting and burning anything near them. She hopped from pillar to pillar as Cloud erected icicles next to try and pierce her. Genesis arrived on the upper balcony, rubbing his hands together.

"Baindo!"

Rosso dodged the cords that lashed out at her and snarled up at him.

"Fuoco!"

Genesis watched unflinchingly as Angeal lobbed a bottle at the fireball sent towards him. It exploded into steam and Genesis sighed.

"That's going to ruin my hair," he pouted, watching his curls flop.

"You never look ruined, you're the god of beauty," Angeal panted as he threw another bottle.

Rosso dodged the oncoming bottle and charged towards Tifa next. Anne watched in horror as Rosso's blades cut and slashed whilst the screams of agony echoed in her ears. Max joined in the fray when Cloud and Tifa were out of range with his bad breath. Rosso dodged to settle on the centre pillar, right under the chandelier. Anne, quick as she could, sunk her teeth into her hand before Sephiroth could stop her.

"Anne, don't!"

"_Diskanket_!"

The chain holding the chandelier broke and Rosso didn't have time to dodge as it hurtled down towards her and crushed her into the icicles. Anne gasped as she held her arm up for a few more seconds before letting it drop.

"Anne, stay with me!"

"She's overused her magic without her dagger!"

"Tifa, get that Malboro out of here, it looks like it's going to tear His Majesty apart!"

"Angeal!"

"Genesis, get the orange bottles from the kitchen, they're labelled clearly that they're magic restoring potions!"

"On it!"

"And bring all of them!"

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

"She needs rest!"

"Get her to her room!"

Anne groaned as she felt being lifted up from the floor. Her vision was dimming.

"Yuffie! We need ya! Get all your healing rune stones and hop to it!"

"Aerith, where are you?!"

"She's probably got some internal damage as well, we need diagnostic spells."

"Out of the way! Get out of the way! Get back!"

"Anne, Anne, please stay with us!"

"You need to stay awake, Anne, you'll need to drink the Angelica!"

Anne's eyes rolled back as she fell into darkness.

_"Anne, what have I told you about being careful with magic?"_


	39. Chapter 40

Sephiroth never moved from Anne's side. Shadow snuffled as he snuggled into her arms more, sleeping a little uneasily. It had been nearly a week since Rosso gate-crashed the engagement ball. Anne hadn't opened her eyes once. The king clutched his fiancée's hand tightly, pressing his lips to her knuckles.

"Open your eyes," he whispered "Please, Anne. Wake up…"

Anne didn't respond. Rosso's attacks had forced her to lose a lot of blood and the fact she still used spells without her knife rendered her in this coma. She looked so pale, despite the replenishing potions Angeal and Genesis had to put into her body via magic. She looked like death, solemn yet peaceful. Sephiroth bowed his head, clutching her hand tighter as Angeal came in with another bowl of potion. The alchemist placed it down on the bedside table and reached over to check Anne's pulse and forehead.

"…"

Sephiroth glanced up at his grave expression.

"Angeal?"

"You mustn't get your hopes up."

"Angeal!"

Sephiroth rose as Angeal withdrew to stir the potion.

"Don't say that, you can bring her back!"

"There is only so much I can do, Your Majesty," Angeal sighed as Genesis wandered in with some dinner for Sephiroth "I've looked through all the books, I've done everything I can, it's just up to her now."

Genesis worried his bottom lip as Angeal turned to him, taking the tray off him.

"How's Tifa?"

"Better since she had the sedative," Genesis whispered as Sephiroth accepted the meal and picked at it "I put something a little stronger in…"

There was a crash and the couple turned to see Sephiroth slouched on the bed with the dinner on the floor. Shadow twitched at the noise as Genesis raised his eyebrows.

"Well, maybe it was too strong," he commented "How is Anne anyway?"

Angeal grimaced.

"It could go either way, I've done everything I can."

Genesis squeezed Angeal's hand tightly.

"Angeal, this could kill him."

"I know but there is really nothing else I can do."

Genesis hugged Angeal tightly, burying his face into his chest.

"She's a good kid, I don't want her to pass like this."

Angeal returned the hug, rocking him back and forth.

"She's done so much for us and…I should have been quicker with my spells, then she wouldn't have considered using that spell to finish Rosso off…"

"Don't go blaming yourself," Angeal hushed as he pressed kisses to Genesis's face "If anything, I'm to blame for not being able to do anything else."

"No, no, don't say that, Angeal," Genesis grabbed Angeal's shirt tightly "You're brilliant, you're the best alchemist out there, don't blame yourself!"

Angeal smiled as he tucked Genesis's head under his chin. Genesis let the tears stream down his face.

"I'm cold…"

"I'll be a few more minutes and I need to clear Sephiroth's dinner up," Angeal muttered as he kissed Genesis's forehead "Why don't you go to bed?"

Genesis's eyes landed on Anne.

"I'm too afraid to leave," he whispered.

"I know, I am too," Angeal nodded.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, not really wanting to let go of the other or leave the room.

* * *

Anne woke up with a loud yawn and to the smell of bacon. She opened her eyes blearily as she heard her door open.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"

"No," she grumbled as she threw the covers over her head.

"Oh yes, you silly girl!"

Anne yelped as the covers were ripped off and she glared up at the man before her.

"Father," she pouted and he laughed louder "Five more minutes."

"No, your great grandfather is here, remember? We're going to all go out for a walk this morning so, brush your hair and get dressed."

Anne stuck her tongue out at Oliver Lockhart as he left her bedroom. She slipped out of bed, stretching her arms out and yawning. The sun was out and the birds were singing. She smiled happily as she wandered over to her wardrobe and picked out one of her dresses to wear. She ran downstairs and claimed her seat at the table where Vincent and Oliver were waiting for Mary Lockhart to finish making breakfast.

"Anne, dear, you forgot to brush your hair."

Anne pouted and Oliver chuckled.

"Really, how old are you?"

"Olly, take the frying pans," Mary sighed as she wiped her hands down on her apron and bustled out of the room.

She came back with the hairbrush as Oliver went to the cooker to continue the cooking. Anne winced as she began brushing her hair and Vincent rolled his eyes.

"How will you manage by yourself?" he asked and Anne shrugged.

"There are spells for this," she said.

"Not until you finish your studies," Mary said sternly, whacking Anne over the head with her hairbrush.

Anne whined as she snatched the hairbrush away and began doing it herself.

"Oh be gentle, you'll pull it all out!"

"I am being gentle!"

"You don't know what gentle is, considering what that Tonberry nearly did to you."

"He was rude," Anne pouted.

"Honestly, why did you think it was a good idea to approach it?"

Anne tilted her head.

"I'm…not sure," she frowned.

"Next thing you'll know, you'll be out there trying to hug Malboros," Vincent snorted.

"Aw shut up," Anne huffed as she placed the brush down when Oliver served the bacon and eggs "Thank you for this food."

Mary took her seat with her husband as Vincent glanced across the table at Anne with a soft grimace.

* * *

"Hurry up, Anne!"

"I'm coming!"

Mary and Oliver smiled at one another as Vincent waited at the edge of the woods, watching them as their youngest daughter stumbled out and was fussed over. He glanced up ahead before taking a step to take the weight of Anne on his back.

"You're looking grumpier than usual," she said as Vincent glanced at her "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said as he shook his great granddaughter off and placed a hand over her head "just wondering when you're going to grow up properly."

"I don't want to grow up," Anne huffed before dancing around him and began skipping off into the woods "Race you to the apple trees, Father!"

Oliver smiled as he began chasing her through the woods. Mary approached Vincent and took his arm as they trailed behind them.

"Thank you for keeping an eye on her," she whispered "I wished I was able to."

"Considering you couldn't handle a simple cloning spell, which she managed to do despite my protests, you have much more to learn."

Mary winced and squeezed his arm tightly.

"You're conflicted, aren't you?"

Vincent hesitated as they reached the apple trees where Oliver had Anne on his shoulders, letting her reach up and take a big apple to bite into.

"You want her to go through but at the same time, you want her to stay."

"It would be very selfish of me."

Mary rubbed his arm.

"I know, I know the feeling."

"Race you to the stump!"

"Ah, wait for me!"

They watched as Oliver ran off and Anne trailed behind him.

"Let me join in too!" Mary called as she let go of Vincent and ran after them.

"Come on, grumpy bones!" Anne shouted over her shoulder and Vincent felt his brow twitch.

"Fine," he huffed as his cloak whirled around him and he dashed through the woods.

Anne yelped as he overtook her and her parents, landing on the stump with a smug look. Anne pouted as she slowed to a halt in front of him.

"That's cheating," she said and Vincent stepped down with a smirk.

She glanced back to see her parents had given up on the race and were hugging each other. She rolled her eyes and sat on the stump, rubbing her feet. Vincent watched solemnly as the Lockhart couple crossed past them.

"We'll go ahead," Oliver smiled as they began going to the dark and shadowy path.

Anne paused as Vincent kept his eyes on her face. She looked confused as she turned around.

"But where are you going?!" she called.

Her eyes widened as they disappeared down the path and she stood up.

"Mother? Father?"

"Shall we go?"

Anne looked up at him.

"But…"

_To this day, I have never crossed over to there._

"Are you scared?"

Anne looked back at the pathway, looking very lost.

"We've never gone down there because it's too dangerous," she said and looked up at him "Even after…"

Vincent didn't give anything away as she blinked and looked down at the grass in disbelief. Her eyes glazed over as she looked up at him again.

"Mother and Father died," she whispered and looked around "Where's Tifa?"

She got up and began wandering around.

"Tifa! Tifa! Cl-Cloud? Cloud?!"

She turned on her heel.

"Tifa is engaged," she whispered in realisation as Vincent placed a hand on her shoulder.

"She is."

"…What happened?"

She reached down to her side and nursed her bosom.

"I…I got hurt I think but…"

She looked up at Vincent in horror.

"…I'm at the brink of death, aren't I?"

Vincent nodded once and Anne dropped her gaze.

"Oh my Gaia…"

"Anne, shall we go?"

"But Tifa…"

Anne stood there, thinking.

"Tifa has Cloud…" she whispered "And I have nothing waiting for me…"

Vincent tilted his head as he offered his hand. Anne stared at it before offering her own…

_"Anne!"_

She snapped her head over to the sound of the voice. She turned and saw a large silver cloud.

_"Anne, please wake up."_

"Who's that?"

Vincent remained silent, giving the silver cloud a challenging glare.

_"Anne, dear, we're all worried."_

A smaller red cloud appeared beside the silver one.

_"We promised we'd make rune stones together."_

A dark grey cloud appeared next and the voice sounded teary.

_"Don't leave us, you have to at least hear my ideas for the runes!"_

_"Miss Anne, please don't go. Everyone will be so upset."_

_"Don't cr-"_

_"I'm not crying!"_

More and more clouds were manifesting around the large silver cloud and Anne frowned.

"Who are all these people?"

Vincent still remained silent.

_"Anne, if you go, who's going to look after Shadow?"_

"Shadow?"

Anne lowered her eyes as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Shadow…is my baby," she gasped and covered her mouth "My baby boy…"

She placed a hand over her stomach.

"He came from me," she muttered "and everyone is afraid of him but he's really a sweet little thing."

Vincent held back a snort.

"He came from me out of my magic," Anne furrowed her brows "but I don't know how it happened."

"Anne, you do have a choice."

Anne turned to Vincent as he brushed the hair out of her face.

"Either come with me and your parents or go back to the world of the living."

Anne looked torn as she glanced at the shadowy path and then back at the clouds.

"But…"

"You can't hesitate with this decision, Anne."

Vincent looked really sombre as she looked up at him.

"Linger too long and I'll have to make the decision for you. Believe me, you'll not want that."

_"Anne, we promised to go travelling together."_

Anne hesitated as she looked at the silver cloud.

"Who is that, why can't I remember?!" Anne cried out as she held her head.

She slumped and Vincent helped her onto the stump.

"Anne, you need to choose now."

"How can I?"

Anne was weeping as she looked down at Vincent.

"I want to be with my parents but my body hurts so much!"

She pressed a hand to her heart.

"It hurts so much here of the thought of leaving them behind!" she cried out whilst gesturing to the clouds "I don't understand why."

Vincent gathered her hands in his.

"You're a smart girl, Anne, you can figure it out."

"But…"

There was a tremor as the shadows in the path began to grow steadily. Anne jumped and stumbled away from them in fright.

"Do you fear death, Anne?"

Anne slumped her shoulders and gave a brave shake of the head.

"I just can't think straight," she murmured.

Vincent extended his hand again to her.

"Anne, you need to choose."

Anne stared at his hand uncertainly, raising her hand again to reach out…


	40. Chapter 41

"Sephiroth!"

Vincent's brow twitched as Anne pulled away her hand sharply. She looked at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"His name is Sephiroth," she said as Vincent watched with a calm, stoic face "He helped me study magic and widen my range of magic abilities."

She backed away from Vincent, clutching at the front of her chest.

"It hurts to think about him," she whined as tears dropped down her face "Why does it? Why does it hurt?"

Vincent dipped his head and sighed in defeat.

"What do you remember about him?" he asked "Tell me more about him."

Anne looked at the cloud warily, breathing in deeply.

"He's a king," she whispered and covered her mouth "He killed our ancestors!"

She looked up at Vincent.

"You were there," she said slowly "And he was cursed by…by…by…"

She looked down, feeling her side.

"Rosso…" she said in disbelief and looked at Vincent in horror "But…but I broke it! I broke the curse and she attacked me."

Vincent nodded as Anne looked around, holding her head and pacing around.

"I feel like I'm missing something…" she whined and jumped as the shadows inched forward.

"Anne, you can't linger for too long," Vincent warned and she bit down on her lip.

"If I go back, I go back to the one who murdered so many women and children…" Anne whimpered as she looked back to the cloud.

"But it hurts when you think about passing on?"

Anne nodded and she turned to Vincent.

"I don't understand!"

"You're a smart girl, Anne. Why do you think it hurts?"

"…Rosso stabbed me through the chest?"

Vincent nearly laughed.

"Perhaps something less physical."

Anne glared up at the trees, tears still flowing down her cheeks. Vincent watched as she dropped her hands and stared at him in alarm.

"We're engaged," she whispered in horror "He proposed and I said yes! Why did I say yes?!"

She backed off as the shadows crept closer to her. Vincent tilted his head as she clutched the front of her dress.

"Why?" she whispered.

"Tell me more," Vincent folded his arms "Can you think of anything positive about him?"

Anne looked up at him, her mouth opening and closing.

"He's a good teacher."

Vincent couldn't help the derisive snort and Anne giggled.

"He cares about me," she smiled "He was always there when I needed someone. He promised to let us travel before we can start a family and…and…he loves me…"

Anne's smile faltered as she paused. She covered her mouth in horror.

"I love him."

Vincent smiled as he crossed the shadows and hugged Anne tightly. He kissed her forehead.

"If he does anything to hurt you, I will drag him down to hell," he vowed as Anne leaned her head onto his chest.

"Thank you," she whispered and Vincent stepped away to hold her hands.

"Stay safe," he said as they began backing off to their own worlds "If I catch you here again, you will be given the lecture of the ages."

Anne giggled as she stepped back into the cloud, closing her eyes as her body began feeling properly once again.

* * *

She opened her eyes. It was dark in the room and Anne felt pain and fatigue wracking through her body. Under one arm, she felt scales and little pointed bumps. Under the other was hair, lots of hair. Anne turned her head and smiled as she saw Sephiroth under her arm, clutching the blankets as he slept. She turned her head to the other side, smiling wider at Shadow who was clutching onto her like she was his teddy bear. She began rubbing his back.

"Psst," she whispered hoarsely and coughed a little at her dry throat "Shadow…"

Shadow purred before opening his eyes blearily. He perked up immediately, his tail swishing excitedly and sniffed her face, licking it happily.

"Hey, hey," Anne whispered as she patted his back "I'm OK, I'm OK…"

Shadow nudged the extra pillows on the bed to support her back as she tried to sit up. She yawned as he nuzzled her whilst she combed through Sephiroth's hair. The king didn't stir as Anne kissed Shadow's head.

"Do you think you could get me something to eat or drink?" she whispered and Shadow perked up "Atta boy."

* * *

"There's someone in the kitchen."

Genesis groaned into the pillow when Angeal sat up straight from the bed.

"It's one o'clock in the morning, there's no-one in the kitchen," the redhead mumbled.

But Angeal was already out of bed and getting dressed. He rushed downstairs as he heard crashing and other things falling to the floor, opening the doors and coming face to face with demonic red eyes. He froze in place as they stared at one another and Angeal noted the basket that Shadow had in his mouth. He frowned as Shadow waved his tail before scampering past him. Angeal chased him up to Anne's room and hesitated as he heard soft whispering. His heart leapt as he opened the doors, his breath hitching as he saw Anne up and awake.

"Not so fast, little miss."

Anne froze, the bread roll inches away from her mouth and she glanced at him.

"Angeal," she smiled as she placed the bread roll down and Angeal held up his fingers.

"You need a plethora of potions first before you eat anything solid," he said and Anne pouted.

"But I'm hungry."

"No, you need to drink the magic replenishing potions, _at the triple_, before there's anything in your stomach to delay the healing process."

"But…it smells so good…"

Angeal chuckled as he walked over, checking her forehead and pulse before ruffling her hair.

"You can wait for a couple of hours."

"A _couple _of _hours_?!"

Anne pouted and Angeal folded his arms.

"You've been in a coma for a week, we don't want you to fall back again."

"But, Angeal…"

"I'll make you fresh croissants if you're a good girl."

Anne whined before sitting back, stroking Sephiroth's hair and letting Shadow nuzzle her affectionately. Angeal popped back down to the kitchen and came back with his arms full of bottles. Anne sighed as she began downing the potions one by one whilst Angeal went back down to the kitchen, preparing the croissants as promised. Anne leaned over to kiss Sephiroth's cheek.

"I'm sorry to have worried you," she whispered.


	41. Chapter 42

"MOMMY, HELP ME!"

"Don't let go, Harmony!"

A blur shot down the corridor whilst a very pregnant queen chased after it.

"Anne, you shouldn't be straining yourself!" Aerith shrieked as she followed her.

"I shouldn't be running, I shouldn't be using magic, my baby girl is being dragged by a broomstick!"

"I'll get her!"

Genesis turned into a red blur as he ran past the girls. It didn't slow Anne down but Aerith began lagging behind. The seamstress panted for breath as a little girl with short silver hair and red eyes approached her.

"Auntie Aerith?"

"Give me a minute, Your Highness," Aerith panted "I'm still out of shape."

Melody tilted her head as a girl slightly older than her wandered down the corridor to them, clutching her teddy bear.

"Where's Mother?" she asked and Aerith sighed.

"Going to help Princess Harmony," she wheezed.

* * *

"HELP!"

Zack ducked with his infant son in his arms in alarm and watched as Harmony zipped around the corner, standing up straight in alarm.

"MOVE!"

Zack spun around, clutching his son tight to his chest as Genesis sped past him.

"HARMONY!"

Zack stepped to the side, bouncing the gurgling baby as Anne ran down the corridor. He hummed before dashing to the kitchen.

"Angeal, I need you to babysit!"

"Now?" Angeal glared over his shoulder as he supported held his own daughter in one arm whilst her brother clung to his leg as he cooked at the stove.

"Yeah, Harmony's in trouble again, I need to help out."

"Cid!"

"Yuffie!"

"Yep?"

Yuffie poked her head out from the cupboard, crumbs and icing around her face.

"Thanks, Yuf!"

Yuffie stared at the bright eyed baby in her hands in alarm and before she could say anything, Zack was out the door.

* * *

"Alright, Your Highness, you need to get ready to jump!"

"I'm scared, Auntie Gen!"

"It's going to be alright, sweetie, I'll catch you!"

SMACK!

Harmony screamed as the broomstick turned sharply around the corridor and Genesis smacked into the wall so hard that he was embedded into it. Anne turned the corner, not batting an eyelid at him. Zack arrived at the scene and began howling with laughter. He fell down into a sitting position, laughing and cackling whilst Aerith arrived with Melody and Ophelia. Ophelia widened her eyes.

"Mother?!"

Genesis let out a muffled noise as Aerith covered her mouth to hide her smile.

* * *

"MOMMY!"

"Just hold on!"

Anne threw the doors open and fell to her knees, gasping for breath as Harmony sped past her and went sky high.

"Kyanseru!"

Harmony screamed as the broomstick began falling and she let go. Sephiroth caught her after riding his Chocobo underneath her. The Chocobo ruffled its feathers as the broomstick landed beside him and Harmony clung onto her father, crying. Anne sighed in relief as Sephiroth dismounted and smiled up at her.

"Active morning?" he drawled and Anne leaned on the doorframe, supporting her baby bump.

"Dune didn't like seeing his big sister in trouble," she breathed.

"Must you name him Dune?" Sephiroth wrinkled his nose as he carried Harmony up the steps.

"Dune is an awesome name," Anne scowled.

"Mother, are you hurt?"

Anne smiled reassuringly as Seito, their eldest, approached her after dismounting his Chocobo.

"I'm fine, don't worry," she whispered.

"Harmony!"

"Melody!"

Harmony spread her arms out for Melody who ran across the lobby to them. Sephiroth let Harmony down so the twins could hug each other and helped his queen up. Anne leaned her head on his shoulder as she brought an arm around Seito to hug him.

"How was your Chocobo riding lesson?"

"Duke adores him," Sephiroth scowled into her hair and Anne laughed.

"Seito is so much like Vincent," she smiled proudly.

"Tch."

"What happened, Mother? Why was Harmony on a broomstick?"

"One of the potions got mixed incorrectly," Anne huffed and yelped when Sephiroth whisked her off her feet.

"Your sister will be visiting soon," he purred as Seito approached the twins to hug them "You need rest or she'll worry."

"Oh, I'll just use the calming perfume, we still have plenty left."

"Yes, surprising that we still have any left," Sephiroth huffed as he began carrying her up the stairs.

He rubbed her baby bump.

"Asa is getting heavy."

"His name is Dune."

"Asa."

"Dune."

"Asa."

"Dune."

"Asa."

"Sephiroth, don't make me sic Max on you, his name is Dune!"

"You named the twins last time."

"I promised Dune that I'd name one of our sons after him," Anne pouted.

Sephiroth sighed, rolling his eyes as they reached Anne's bedroom, setting her down on her bed.

"Really? That pesky merchant?"

"He was the one that gave us the calming perfumes and he was a useful guide in that desert."

"Even after I suggested we take the northern route to Wutai?"

"I wanted to see the Golden Saucer!"

"I had sand in my boots for three weeks!"

"Yes and they were very useful ingredients for my studies."

Sephiroth scowled but it was kissed away.

"I can make it up to you," she teased.

Sephiroth glared down at her.

"You minx."

"Hey, it was your fault that we had the twins, I want payback!"

"I didn't want Seito growing up as an only child."

"And what about the other children? He would have grown up with Othello."

"I didn't take into account that Genesis was going to actually grow a womb inside him."

Anne laughed.

"Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Tifa and Uncle Cloud are here!"

"Coming," Anne smiled at Harmony who was bouncing up and down with excitement "Why don't you tell the others?"

Harmony nodded before Melody took her hand and they ran off. Sephiroth sighed as Anne slid off the bed, grabbing her hand.

"Anne?"

"Yes?"

Their eyes met and Sephiroth smiled happily at her.

"You're beautiful."

Anne puffed her cheeks out.

"That's another term for saying I'm fat."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and stood up to kiss her sweetly.

"Fat or not, you're my beautiful queen," he grinned and Anne pouted "Nothing will ever change that."

He squeezed her hands tightly as they stood in the sunlight by the window. After a while they wandered out to the lobby to greet Tifa and Cloud. Anne smiled as Sabrina was approached by Othello and they hugged, happy to see each other whilst Tifa looked up at Anne.

"My, that is pregnant," she said and Anne huffed.

"You said that when I was having the twins," she said as Sephiroth helped her down the stairs.

"No, but this, how far along are you?!"

Anne hummed as Tifa felt the baby bump curiously.

"Aerith had estimated last Tuesday."

"Last Tuesday?!"

"And you were running around chasing Harmony in such a state?!"

Anne jumped as both sister and husband rounded on her.

"Um…"

"Anne, you need to be more careful, this is another's life at stake!" Tifa scolded.

"Do you want a son named Dune or not?" Sephiroth folded his arms.

Anne flicked back and forth between them and folded her arms, pouting.

"Geez, you're as bad as Aerith," she grumbled.

"Wait, you're nine months along? Is it alright for him to be late?"

"Can't be too bad," Anne shrugged as she supported the bump "Could always cut him out."

"With Angeal and Aerith operating, don't you dare try to do it yourself," Sephiroth growled.

"I'm not stupid," Anne huffed.

"You tried to make another creature like that Chaos magic being shortly after the twins were born, you have enough stupidity to compete with Zack," Sephiroth scowled and looked around "Where is that thing anyway?"

"Shadow? Oh, he's sleeping, he was up all night last night."

"Uncle Cid!"

Cid chuckled as he walked in and picked Sabrina up, holding her above his head.

"How's my special little blacksmith?" he asked as he supported her on his hip.

"She made her first dagger," Cloud said.

Sabrina dug into her pocket and pulled out the sheathed dagger.

"May I?"

Sabrina nodded as Cid set her down and took the dagger to look at the blade.

"Why, a fine weapon it is," he smiled down at her.

"It's made from a Malboro tooth!"

Cid nearly dropped the dagger and Tifa snorted.

"Max may have lost a couple when he caught me off guard," she said sheepishly and Anne gasped.

"My poor baby!"

"Focus on your own children first," Sephiroth grumbled "Are you thinking of imbuing magic into that?"

"Well, that's part of the reason why we're visiting," Cloud shrugged "Sabrina is just as inquisitive as her aunt."

"I'd love to help imbue magic into it!" Anne clapped her hands together.

"No!" Sephiroth and Tifa said sharply.

Anne whined as Sephiroth approached Cid, plucking the dagger out of his hand and holding it up to the light.

"It'll most likely already have magical abilities if you used Max's tooth," he hummed.

"You could do what Tonberries do," Anne suggested "Imbue death magic into it."

"No, she might cut herself!" Tifa shrieked.

"Mum, I'm ten years old, I'll be fine," Sabrina rolled her eyes.

"That's what your Aunt Anne said before she got attacked by Crawlers!"

"When did that happen?" Anne frowned briefly "Oh wait, yeah, I was trying to summon Carbuncle…"

"Can we summon Carbuncle soon?" Harmony asked curiously.

"No!" Tifa and Sephiroth barked.

"Oh come on!" Anne threw her hands up in the air "I'll be thirty soon, it'll be fine!"

Sephiroth shook his head with a sigh. He smiled and walked over to Anne and kissed her forehead.

"Let's see if lunch is ready," he whispered as the children began running outside to play.

Anne puffed her cheeks out and leaned her head on is shoulder.

"Fine, Angeal had better made those seaweed cookies."

Sephiroth snorted as the adults began heading to the kitchen. Sephiroth kissed his wife happily as they trailed behind and he reached down to circle her belly.

"I love you."

Anne blushed and sighed.

"Yeah, love you too," she muttered.


End file.
